Passion is Key
by Changfriedrice
Summary: What if events in TLJ played out differently? Trapped and cornered with no other way, Rey bitterly accepts Kylo Ren's tutelage. She is his light, and he is her dark. In given time, both succumb to their true destinies. Story begins in Snoke's throne room, after the battle against the Praetorian Guards. Centered around Rey's downfall. Full side switch. Reylo. Dark Rey.
1. Chapter 1

"Who do you think you are?"

Rey stared at him, her shoulders undulating with every panting breath she took. Beads of sweat perspired from her tousled hair and dripped down her forehead onto the marble floor cluttered with debris.

There was an eerie stalemate between the two of them that raised the hairs on Rey's arms. For the past ten minutes, the two of them had been fighting side by side harmoniously, synchronized so perfectly that Rey could feel a connection with the man that stood firmly in front of her now, with his right foot in front of his left.

Kylo Ren.

The room was littered in a massive clump of dead bodies. Rey refused to turn her head and witness the massacre and the lives that had been slain by her own hand, but her peripheral vision was more than enough. Broken armor and half-protruding limbs lay lifelessly on the ground. If the deceased Praetorian guards wore no helmets, Rey was sure she would be sick at the sight of their once-seeing eyes.

But if there was one image she forced her vision from, it was that of the slumped figure of Snoke. The mighty Supreme Leader, slain by his apprentice when he least expected it; an attack some might call desperate, and others luck. A pitiful huddle of vomit-colored robes and the protrusion of his marred, deformed head down to his severed ribcage were all that remained. She wouldn't need to look again. The image was permanently scarred in her mind for as long as she would live.

She had no idea what was going to happen.

The Force user standing before her was unreadable. She couldn't draw any sign of emotion, any flicker of recognition even if her scrutinizing meant her life was on the line. The connection she shared with him—the late night visions and shared whispers in her head, his singular taunts and seemingly-innocent questions that permeated throughout her being even though he was light years away—it was sealed shut, buried beneath his stoic mask he had erected.

"Who do you think you are?" he asked again.

Rey noted that he looked worse for the wear. His once-flowing black cowl and surcoat were ripped in sporadic places. Her eyes wandered. There was a dark stain slowly spreading at his left forearm—surely a lasting mark left by a deceased guard. If Rey wasn't so focused on the situation at hand, she would have been flooded with uncertain worry, even after everything that had happened.

Kylo Ren took a step towards her. She viewed this as a threat.

Now was no longer the time to allow others to walk over her. She refused to back down, and instead perched on the balls of her feet, waiting for what would come next.

"Search within yourself," he said, voice strangely soft. "You know it."

"No," Rey refused, shaking her head. "You're wrong." Inside, years of quiet anticipation were slowly beginning to crack and melt away into a rotted pit of emptiness. She could feel the tears begin to creep up in her already-jostled, unhinged emotional state, and she hurriedly blinked them away.

Kylo Ren stared at her. And then he opened his mouth.

"Do you know the truth about your parents? Or have you always known? You've just hidden it away. Say it."

"No," she denied.

"Your parents? Nothing more than filthy junk traders. They sold you off to continue funneling their drinking habits. They're dead in a pauper's grave in the Jakku desert. You had no place in this story."

"You're wrong," she snarled, briefly letting her emotions get the best of her. She let the flames lick her words. "You're wrong."

But even as she said this, a sinking feeling blossomed into her stomach until her insides opened into a dark pit and her guts dropped into them. Perhaps she knew it all along, and was in serious denial…were the tallies etched into the inner hull of the AT-AT she lived in for her hope, or were they for her sanity?

Rey didn't know what to think. The only memory regarding her prepubescent years on Jakku that wasn't a blurry mass was the one flashback she had after leaning in and touching Anakin Skywalker's lightsaber in Maz's dungeons on Takodana. It was the memory of her toddler self pleading with a no-face, imploring to whoever was leaving her on the desert wasteland in the harnesses of Unkar Plutt to reconsider their actions. She could feel his arm now—the wretched, dirty grip of Plutt's palm around her right upper arm.

If it was someone she had seen since growing up, wouldn't she have already realized? Wouldn't she have already realized if it was Luke, or General Organa, or—and her stomach continued to plummet—Han Solo?

She _was_ nobody.

As if Kylo read her mind, he retorted, "You know I am right. Search within yourself. You know it to be true. Do you really believe that a little girl would be left on Jakku for over a dozen years if her parents had any intentions of returning? Your parents were nobodies. You are _no one_."

Rey's self-pity began to simmer away and her fists started tightening. She opened her mouth, but before she could take action, Kylo interrupted.

"But," he stressed, his right side twitching.

Rey stayed silent, unsure of what was to come. If the situation wasn't so momentous, she would have laughed. Here they were, surrounded by ripped shreds of darkness, and yet all they could do was have a soft, quietly-spoken miniature conversation in the middle of a room that could encompass hundreds, if not thousands, of people.

"You _are_ somebody to me. I have seen your potential. I have seen what you are capable of. This link we have between us—there is a reason for this. You know I am right."

Kylo moved forward a step, and Rey briskly tensed. Seeing her response seemed to spurn him on, however, and he let out a rare vulnerability that befuddled her. He stretched his arm forward and unclenched his hand, letting his palm rest face up in an obvious gesture.

"Join me. Come with me." His whisperings betrayed nothing, but Rey thought she detected just a sliver of pleading. A sliver of him begging.

"Take my hand. We can rule the galaxy side by side. Together, we can _end_ this war. Please."

Rey's eyes flickered down to his outstretched, gloved hand. For a split second, she seriously debated on moving forward and slipping her hand into his. To be shuttled away and frisked away from all these troubles, these burdens—these constraints and _responsibilities_. Although Snoke was dead, the First Order was not. They would continue clashing with the Resistance until one side triumphed over the other. But if Rey took his hand, then perhaps there would still be salvation in the galaxy. And not only that, but there was something else calling out to her—Kylo Ren himself. As much as she hated to admit, they did share a connection. Her mind hazily drew a memory of seeing him shirtless in his quarters during one of the few moments where they had managed to see inside each other's heads—and then her demeanor abruptly changed.

No. She would not— _could not_ —accept. They walked on two separate paths, each leading further and further away from each other until they both existed as whole antagonists to one another. She knew this. And she was sure he did too.

She knew her next action was against all Jedi code, but Rey acted on her instincts. There was something off and deranged about Kylo. He would not see logic. There would be no reason to explain; trying to help him understand was futile.

She lifted her hand. Across from her, she saw Kylo's eyes dance.

And then the hilt of Luke's lightsaber flew from behind him.

Kylo's eyes widened for a fraction of a second and then it clicked. He dodged his head to the side, narrowly missing the speedy hum of the lightsaber as it flew over to Rey's waiting hand. But she was not going to get away that easily.

He pushed out with his hand, and the lightsaber froze. Rey saw this, and her teeth clenched together.

Both of them stood still, reveling in the mental battle. Not one word was said. Each of their concentrations were solely exercised on the hovering hilt in between the two of them.

They were evenly matched. And above that, they were _equals_.

Rey would not let her focus drop. She _could_ not let her focus drop. For nearly a dozen years, the man across him had been wreaking havoc and striking fear into all who opposes him. He killed and maimed, and slaughtered and beheaded those who refused the First Order. And he cherished it.

The entire Resistance relied on her. They had faith in her and she was not going to let them down

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a faint smirk work its way onto his face. And this was enough for her to lose control.

"No!"

The lightsaber ultimately made its choice. The black leather, gloved hand wrapped tightly around Luke's weapon.

"I win."

Rey saw red. This wasn't anything like she had ever experienced before—not when she was held within a foot of Snoke, or when she was fighting the Praetorian guards for her freedom. No, this red was primal. It was feral. This red seeped into her lungs until all she could breathe was hatred. This red swarmed around her body until she was coated head to toe in raging anger. This red took control of her until she could no longer identify as Rey, the scavenger, from Jakku.

The lightsaber seemingly exploded at light speed out of Kylo Ren's hands into Rey's ready one. She caught the lightsaber and hastily turned it on.

"No," she said. "Not yet."

The two of them stared at each other for what seemed like eternity. Rey was unwilling to move first, and by the looks of things, neither was Kylo. Rey was not quite sure whether this was because making the first move would dish out a weakness or disadvantage of sorts, or whether she simply did not want to fight him.

But then the next thing she knows, he's on her, and she barely has time to raise her arm up in defense before she hears the indescribable howl and sizzle as their blades collided.

Oh, the heat was overwhelming. With her naturally shorter than Kylo, he held the upper ground. Both of his hands were wrapped around his red, pulsing lightsaber, and it was immovable against Rey's. Her posture leaned backward sloppily at the sheer force that Kylo put into his attack.

She wouldn't be able to win. Whereas Rey based her fighting style flimsily off teachings from Luke, Kylo fought with pure, unadulterated savagery. She was constantly on the defensive, and constantly shirked beneath her lightsaber as Kylo bashed from above time after time again, until she was whittled to the very end.

Somehow, in between another one of his attacks, she managed to avoid his attack and do something else that surprised him. Rey slithered to his left, almost as fast as a snake, and before he could accurately adjust his strike, she disappeared from his line of sight.

Rey suddenly launched an offensive attack, stepping forward and brandishing the saber in her hand as she attempted to jab him. Kylo, originally taken off guard, recovered quickly enough to lazily brush her attack to the side, causing her saber to glisten off the floor and splutter sparks.

Rey screamed and continued her assault. But no matter what she did, he seemed one step ahead of her. She raised both of her hands up with the lightsaber to mimic his attack on her earlier, but instead of gaining the upper hand and pushing him down, Kylo simply outmaneuvered her and then Force pushed her back into the wall.

Rey crashed into the hard surface and all the breath escaped from her lungs. The lightsaber left her hand and went off when her body went slack. She fought to refocus her vision. She wasn't going to let him win that easily.

Dimly, she was aware of the soft treading of Kylo's boots against the marble surface. He walked forward slowly until he was a few feet from her before turning off his lightsaber. A stupendous pause ensured, until he finally broke it.

"Enough."

Rey grimaced.

"You are clearly outclassed, and you are in no condition to fight," Kylo snarled. "This is over."

She ignored the stabbing pain in her side. While he was talking, Rey gathered her bearings and lifted her dominant foot so that her sole was pressing against the wall. He gave no sign of recognition.

"I thought I'd play nicely, but the time for that has long passed. You _will_ —"

He didn't get to finish his sentence, for Rey called the lightsaber to her, turned it on, and with an extra thrust from her foot, pushed off the wall and into Kylo. He ignited his lightsaber just in time, and the two of them clashed into a deadlock.

"Stubborn girl," he hissed. Both of their lightsabers were inches away from making contact with one another as they struggled in a renewed battle for power to overcome the other.

Rey bared her teeth and pushed even harder, refusing to say anything. She would not even let him savor in a victory of any sorts, even if it was slight. The two swayed back and forth, neither giving up any ground. Rey poured all of her energy and Force into trying to overpower him, and through her inner sensing, she could tell he was doing the same.

From deep within, she felt the hidden anger rise again. Betraying Luke's teachings once was a big deal, but now that she had already done it, the second time was much easier. She let the anger swarm into herself just as she had a few minutes ago, and let it add fuel to the fire. Kylo recognized this all too late.

With a monumental push, Rey shoved him backwards. Kylo stumbled, but gathered his bearings not a second too soon.

Rey began turning to gather momentum so that when she completed the rotation, her swing could make contact with extra speed and strength.

But she never got the chance to, for when her back was facing her enemy, her movements became restricted. She became restricted not by the Force, but by his firm arms.

He pulled her backward and let their natural momentum carry them to the wall. His back made a heavy thud, but he made no attempt to let her go.

"Silly girl," he said.

Rey could feel one of his powerful arms firmly wrap around her thin waist. Her back was pressed tightly into his chest, severely limiting the range of motion she had with her arms.

"Let me go!" she shouted, thrashing wildly. She could feel panic rising to her throat at how constricted she was. She couldn't move a single limb. One of her arms were pinned by her side, under his restricting one that wound its way around her waist. Her hopes were dashed even more when his free arm jumped to the wrist that held her lightsaber above her head in a position to strike. He squeezed. Hard.

She screamed, and in the mind-numbing pain, dropped her lightsaber. It bounced to the ground, where it turned off and lay uselessly. Out of reach.

"Scavenger," Kylo murmured.

"Let me go!" she repeated, wildly buckling her hips and twisting her wrist in a desperate attempt to worm it out of his grasp. "You're a monster! I will never join you!"

An animalistic growl erupted from Kylo's lips and he pulled Rey even closer to him, if possible. They were now so close that Rey could feel the hot air leaving his mouth berating and tickling across the small hairs on the back of her neck.

And then suddenly, Rey's shouts turned into quiet subdue. There was something strangely familiar with the way he was holding her right now, and she couldn't help but allow the fight to escape her, like water from the palm of her hand. There was something raw about this. Something comforting.

 _Rey opened her eyes. Her back was drenched in sweat. The room was dark. Her surroundings were silent. She shuffled her feet, and a new sound perpetuated her ears._

 _Her fingers made contact with the thin sheet of fabric that was draped loosely over her body. She had never touched fabric of this caliber before, given her life on Jakku, and yet, the sensation felt so usual. With a start, she realized she was laying on her back, in a bed._

 _She glanced around, willing her eyes to adjust to the darkness, but they were failing her. The room was too dark. It was suffocating. She had to find the light switch. So she sat up._

 _Or, tried._

 _There was something draped over her bare chest, and whatever it was, the weight was preventing her from sitting up._

" _What are you doing, awake at this hour?"_

 _She turned her head around to where the voice originated from. She couldn't see anything, but her guess was affirmed by the firm, calloused hand that lifted off her chest and cupped her around her cheek._

" _Kylo." Rey sat up and lifted her knees to her chest before wrapping her arms around her legs._

" _Yes?"_

" _We were fighting…in Snoke's throne room. It's n—nothing. Just a bad dream."_

 _Kylo's hand released, and an involuntary whimper escaped Rey's lips. The bedsheets rustled for a few seconds until they were thrown off the two of them, and then Kylo sat up as well. She could feel his thoughts beckoning, so she loosened herself, and allowed him to take her hand._

" _Come here," he murmured. Rey obliged. He gently pulled Rey closer to him until she was straddling his lap and at an equal height to his. She tucked her head against the inside of his clavicle, under his cheek. Her breaths began to slow and she breathed in his scent fanning over her face from the close proximity they were in. Maker, it was intoxicating._

 _She felt him press his forehead against hers._

"N—n—no."

Rey's eyes had always been open, but now they were working again. She was back in Snoke's throne room, in the reality of things. It took her several seconds of trying to get her brain caught up to speed, and when she did, she realized she was still locked in Kylo's grasp.

"You had a Force vision."

Rey shivered. The air from the words spoken by the voice behind her tickled the back of her neck. She managed to whirl around and caught sight of Kylo Ren standing tall, a head's length above her. He smirked.

"A _what_?" Rey asked, conflicted and confused at the feelings encapsulated inside her chest. At this point in time, the last thing she wanted to do was fight. It had all escaped her. She wanted answers.

"A Force vision," Kylo repeated. "What you saw was merely the future."

Rey stared at him for a long moment and then shook her head. Nothing could have prepared her for this. No amount of mental fortitude or training from Luke would have helped ease the shock and overwhelming feeling of helplessness circulating around her like a venomous fog. "No. You're wrong."

"Am I? The vision speaks the truth, not us."

"No. This is another one of Snoke's tricks—he's manipulating our emotions and making us see things that are untrue."

"Snoke is no longer with us."

That's when she truly realized where she was. For the first time since coming out of her vision, she realized how their bodies still entwined within one another. His hand was no longer lying flat over her stomach. Instead, both of his hands were gently settled on her hips and each one was softly pressed against each hipbone. She willed herself to calm down, but to no avail—her cheeks flamed crimson and she couldn't prevent herself from focusing on how easily the top of her head fit under the crook of his chin. Like a lock and key.

She furiously untangled herself from within him. A small part of her was surprised he'd actually let her go. He didn't seem like the kind of person who was willing to let something he wanted walk away. And judging by the sharp glance in his eyes, she was something, no, someone, he did not want leaving.

Rey retracted her steps until there were a solid ten paces between them. She called to the Force and her lightsaber flew to her waiting hand. She gripped it firmly and thought twice about what she should do, before finally latching it to her side. Kylo Ren spent the entire time examining her face, making no move to stop her during any of this. After she was done organizing herself, she finally returned the gesture into his eyes.

"You're wrong," she repeated over and over again, like a mantra.

"Believe what you wish. I, however, grow tired of this childish bickering," was his only retort.

Rey shook her head. "I don't care. There's no way that is ever happening. You are evil. You kill people out of spite. You claim lives, men, women, and children alike. You are rotten from the core and a repulsive, disgusting monster and I will never—"

Rey choked on her words. Why couldn't she finish her spiel? It was going so well, until she found herself unable to say the remaining words.

"Say it," Kylo pressed, his voice adopting a softer tone to it.

"No," she growled. "Visions change. They aren't set in stone," she recited, pulling out the phrase from what Luke had told her.

Kylo Ren growled harder than she did and a chill rose into her spine.

"You are too hardheaded for your own good. It is fairly obvious that we will be unable to reach an ultimatum. So be it." He took a menacing step toward her, but then something seemed to stop him.

Rey's hand had shot to her side when he advanced forward, but when she saw him stop, she slightly relaxed.

"Next time we see each other, scavenger, I will not be so lenient." At Rey's scoff, he frowned. "Remember, desert rat. I showed you mercy, and I expect your debt to be repaid." And with that, Kylo Ren turned around. With his boots clicking on the floor, he left the throne room, just as the ship began to shake and the roof began to crumble into pieces.

Rey stood still, alone in the room with only the deceased and the falling debris as her company, for a few more minutes before gathering her wits. She traced back her steps to the from the throne room down the numerous passageways and their twisting turns that she had encrypted into her mind when led to Snoke an hour ago. The time she spent retracing her steps back to the hangar was spent in static silence as she pondered how the Resistance fared. The time she took settling into one of the last unscorched First Order supply ships and scanning through the controls before figuring out how to pilot the vehicle was spent contemplating the future of the First Order. And the time she spent piloting the ship where the other Resistance transports were headed—an old Rebel Alliance base on Crait—was spent reflecting on her interaction with Kylo Ren and where they stood.

She couldn't help but think back to the throne room, and how one moment of trying to kill each other could drastically turn the opposite direction into the two of them holding each other, almost like they cared for one another. How the man before her could have the temper of an unhinged maniac one second, and confuse her with his perplexity the next. She couldn't put her finger on it until she maneuvered safely out of the wreckage that was perpetually exploding around her.

For the first time she had ever known him, Kylo Ren sounded like he was at a loss for words.


	2. Chapter 2

Another chapter. Thanks to everyone who reviewed, followed, and favorited! I haven't really committed to a fanfic beyond a couple of chapters before, but this is a project that I'm willing to see to the end. I already have another four chapters written (school starts soon so there will be times where I can't write and these backup chapters will come in handy). Again, thanks for all the support, and hope this doubly long chapter is enjoyable. I feel like it could be either or.

* * *

"Unidentified First Order vehicle, come in. State your status."

Rey lurched from the reclines of her seat and grabbed the communication system.

"This is Rey. Requesting coordinates to land."

There was a brief silence in which she considered whether she would be let through. She had yet to even meet anyone from the Resistance other than Finn, Leia, and Poe, let alone lay a single foot inside their base. Her brisk victory on Starkiller Base had led to a tedious journey to Ahch-To immediately after.

She regretted identifying herself only by name, speaking it as if it held any meaning. Chances are, no one knew her. And when she caught glances of onslaught she had witnessed first-handedly while her escape pod was jettisoning toward The Supremacy…well, it looked like a one-sided battle. She wasn't sure how many survivors remained. And now, behind her, without a doubt, was one of the largest space wreckages to have ever been recorded in any battle. The Raddus, General Organa's ship, was no doubt a monstrosity to be reckoned with, but even it was dwarfed by the obliterated mass of The Supremacy.

She was worried. Were her friends safe? Was Leia safe?

The flashing red panel in front of her caught her eye.

"Permission to land granted. Coordinates sending now."

Rey muttered a quick thanks and then turned off the communication system.

She collapsed back into her seat and then breathed a sigh of relief. Crait was growing bigger by the second—a testimony to how much faster this ship was compared to any other transport vehicle Rey had been in. Luckily, navigation and flight controls were unanimously similar regardless of how high-tier a ship was.

A few minutes of staring off into empty space grew boring, and she turned her attention to the ship. As much as she hated to admit, the First Order ship was much more comfortable than any Resistance ship she had been on, much less the Millennium Falcon. The dark leather that seemed to indent itself to the shape of her figure as soon as it made contact with her skin sent wave after wave of repose so headily that she couldn't help the soft groans leaving her throat and out her lips. Whereas the Resistance salvaged as many parts as they could, which often led to the reuse of technology that was more than a generation old, all of the First Order's equipment was state-of-the-art. The minimization of buttons and endless panels of intricate controls that gave way to sensors that responded to her touch was no doubt a reflection of the mass amount of wealth on the side of the enemy.

Rey wasn't stupid enough to just sit back and completely relax, however. Years of solitude on Jakku had led her to a high affinity for awareness and suspicion. She made sure to take caution by consistently monitoring the scanner pad on her left, making sure that no ships could approach within a certain distance of her before she took notice.

Her fingers flickered toward the communication system again. A sudden urge to talk to whoever was on the receiving end of her transmission flooded through her, but she thought better of it. The Resistance was surely setting up their new base, and the last thing they needed was an annoying Padawan keeping an extra set of hands away from all the organization taking place. Instead, she would twiddle the hilt of her lightsaber in the palm of her hand instead. That always soothed her.

Her hand flew to her lightsaber, but as soon as her fingers touched it, it was like a bucket of ice water doused over her head.

She slid her fingers down the foreign hilt. The usual sleek, shiny texture no longer permeated throughout her sensory nerves. Instead, the hilt felt cold and heartless, the freezing metal scorching her as if it had a life of its own. She moved her fingers up, and abruptly pulled back when she felt the crossguard. And then she looked down.

It was Kylo Ren's lightsaber.

Rey racked her brain. She was confident she had picked up Luke's at the time, but thinking back to it now, she really wasn't paying attention to which lightsaber it was. She had just called out with the Force, and apparently her enemy's weapon flew to her.

She mustered the courage to glance back down. The black weapon, which had claimed a countless number of souls stared back at her, as if it was mocking her. _Daring her_.

Before she knew what she was doing, she unclipped the lightsaber and held it in her hand. There was a strange feeling that she couldn't place at first, but then she realized that, even though her hand was much smaller than his, the hilt fell in place quite nicely into her grip. She turned it a couple of times over. The structure was simple, but the complex was not.

An overwhelming urge suddenly overtook her, and Rey ignited the saber.

A dark, almost grotesque roar erupted from the blade as it spewed flames, and then the two crossguard blades demonically ignited as well. Unlike Luke's lightsaber, which held a steady beam to it, this was uncontrolled. There was a low hum to its idling, and Rey felt like the sound, in a sense, was almost ethereal; a deep lullaby meant to gradually vibrate the listener's soul to sleep.

It was beautiful.

Rey stepped away from the chair until she was at a safe distance from any imperative controls and then took a swing. She could feel the blade, sizzling hot, cut the air to into pieces. The weapon was so alive that with each swing or thrust the sheer heat of energy generated by it was enough to increase the temperature in the cabin by a few degrees. She took a defensive maneuver, the same that Kylo Ren always did right before he ignited his weapon—where he crouched ever so slightly and thrust the blade toward the ground—and felt how easily it came to her. She took a swing, and pretended to catch an enemy's weapon with one of the crossguards. A simple twist of her wrist to the side would have been enough to disarm the opposer's weapon.

Her hazel eyes reflected the flickering of the blade. Fiery red and light brown swirled together until neither was distinguishable from the other.

Rey allowed a grin to come forth. The red was strikingly alluring, and the arcs and turns from the body that accompanied it made it all the more mesmerizing.

 _I see you are enjoying yourself._

Rey gasped and dropped the lightsaber. Vaguely, she noticed it shut off and tumble onto the metal floor and roll out of sight. It was hard to focus her senses, because all she could make out was him. He was in his ship as well, examining his lightsaber meticulously, turning it back and forth in his enormous hands.

 _How did you get into my head?_ she retorted. She could sense him now, a looming presence in the back of her mind. But unlike Snoke, whose presence augmented reality and crushed her skull with pain, his was oddly genteel and warm. His aura left a tingling sensation that was neither good nor bad. She frowned.

 _Distractions. You allowed yourself to lose focus at the mere presence of a lightsaber. Slipping into your mind without your notice proved no difficulty. You should have your defenses at the ready. Always._

Rey emerged from her crouch, victorious in locating where his weapon had gone. She stood up and got back into the pilot's chair.

 _You speak to me as if I am your pupil._

 _Is that such a bad thing?_

Rey growled. _I don't know how many times I have to tell you this before it finally sinks in. My answer on Starkiller is the same answer I have for you now. No. You will not be my teacher. Now get out of my head and leave me alone._

Through the eyes of Kylo Ren, she saw him flying into a hangar. He ignored her condemnation, and instead surprised her with his question.

 _Are you alright?_

She swiveled around in her seat. _What's it to you?_

She could feel his end of the bond harden, and she immediately regretted sounding so hostile.

 _No, wait,_ she said.

Rey could feel his prepared, venomous retort come to a pause as his eyebrows lift in surprise. She didn't know why, but she didn't like how she sounded so crude and brash.

 _Has your injury been treated?_ she asked.

She saw him looking down at his forearm, the one that she observed to be bleeding in Snoke's throne room. An impromptu bandage, one that hardly reflected any expertise at patching someone up, was loosely draped around his arm. Well, that answered that question.

 _I'll survive_ , he responded dryly.

 _Quit being such a child, Kylo, and let the medical droid look at your arm._ Rey took note of Crait and how it was getting closer and closer. It would only be a few more minutes of floating in space before she crossed the atmosphere and landed. Her stomach flew with butterflies at the thought of seeing everyone again.

 _I have more important manners to attend to._

 _Like what? What could possibly be of greater importance than your health?_ Rey found herself shaking her head, amazed at how stubborn he could be.

 _You have knowledge that I seek. Enemies I swore to find._

Immediately, she clammed up. For a split second, she had almost believed that they were not on opposite sides of the battle, given their light bantering. But when his voice took a darker approach, she knew his desire for his sick idea of vengeance was now at the forefront of his mind. Just like that, their conversation was filled with plagued tension. She would get nowhere with him.

 _Leave me alone._

 _Not until you give me what I need. Where is Luke Skywalker?_

Rey shook her head. _I will never tell you_.

She could sense his rage.

 _Tell me where Luke Skywalker is! I know where the puny Resistance base lies, and I will come for it soon enough. Would you like to hear how many transport ships we gunned down? How few survivors are left? I will wring out everyone and find where the cowardly mongrel is. I guarantee—_

Rey ignited the lightsaber.

 _I cannot believe—you know what, get out of my head!_

 _You will tell me!_

 _Get out of my head!_ she screamed again. Innately, she could feel her anger boiling to a dangerous surface. It filled the brim and then sludged outward, filling her head with vehement thoughts. She could feel it pushing away Kylo Ren's voice, and she allowed herself to lose a little more control. She entertained herself with the image of Luke's decrepit stature at the hands of Kylo Ren; the image of the Resistance base burning to shambles. This allowed her anger to spike even further, until she could feel his presence being forcefully being pushed until it was no longer there. But right before she evicted him, she heard him one last time, voice void of any fury and holding just the slightest bit of pride.

 _You are learning._

Rey slumped forward in her chair. That bastard. Always one step ahead of her, manipulating her so that she would learn from him regardless of her will.

Luke had said anger was the path to the dark side. Was he wrong? Look at Kylo. A Force user who lets his anger dictate him, and now he's walking a dark path. But Rey knew she had anger issues too…did that mean…

She shook her head. No. There was no way. A legend himself could teach no wrongs. But was he a legend? Would legends fail like he had toward Kylo? Rey found herself pouring over his teachings, trying to interpret the line that divided good and evil, light and dark, and was so absorbed in her mind that she didn't realize the shuttle was jerking violently due to Crait's atmosphere until the shrill sound of alarms permeated her ears.

"Damn," she cursed to herself, and took control of the sticks. Although she was no Poe Dameron, she could handle her own.

The First Order ship landed in a snowy field of emptiness for as far as the eyes could see. Creatures that resembled wolves with shiny eyes and sheets of ice as fur scurried away at the sharp sound of the ship's engines. She landed with a graceful thud and managed to reconfigure all the controls in the correct order. She took one last glance out the glass pane and shuddered to herself. The clothes she was wearing wouldn't do any good in this freezing weather.

There were signs of life. As soon as she landed, Rey saw a few Resistance members—characterizable by their distinct jackets—jogging from the side over to her ship. She frowned at the blasters that were tucked to their sides, and how easily accessible it would be to their hands.

The platform at the rear of the ship hissed and lowered.

"Rey?!"

"Finn!" Rey bolted out of the ship onto the snow and landed in the arms of her best friend, who was surrounded by unfamiliar members of the Resistance. She hugged him tightly.

"It is you!" he exclaimed, returning her squeeze with equal gusto. "I was worried sick about you."

"About me?" she laughed. "You're the one who was in a coma!"

"We all were. Last we heard, you were training with Luke."

"A lot has happened since, hasn't it?" she rhetorically asked. A sad smile came to her face.

Finn smiled too, but it too didn't reach his eyes. "Yeah. A lot." They broke apart.

He shook his arms out of the Resistance jacket he was wearing and handed it to hear, turning a deaf ear to her protests. With her heart warming to the gesture, Rey accepted it and slipped it on.

The two of them let the other members of the Resistance lead the way back to the new base that loomed in the near background, while they trailed behind.

"Tell me," Finn asked after the two fell into a comfortable pace. He offered her his hand, and Rey eagerly slipped hers in his. "What tricks did the famed Luke Skywalker teach you? Anything to use against the First Order?"

Rey smiled at his enthusiasm, but then it slowly disappeared. Finn saw this. She sighed.

"What? Did I say something wrong?"

"No, Finn. It's just—" Rey struggled for words, before finally settling with, "I didn't learn much."

Finn looked confused.

"What do you mean? You were with him for over a month, were you not? Or do the ways of the Jedi require longer than that?"

She felt like he was accusing her, and he noticed this by the way her eyes slanted.

"I'm not pointing fingers of blame, Rey," he backtracked. "I'm just curious."

"It was hard getting to Master Skywalker. For over a week, he refused to train me."

"What, refused? And he didn't say why?"

Rey shook her head. "I tagged along everything he did—when he cooked, when he meditated, even when he milked the Thala-sirens," she shuddered.

"The _what_? Milking?"

"Never mind," she brushed. "The only time I didn't follow him was when he retired to his hut and went to bed. Even then, he still refused."

"So you didn't learn anything at all."

"No. He agreed to teach me eventually, but even then—" Rey paused. What was she supposed to say? That the legendary Luke Skywalker took one look at her power, got too scared, and then turned cold feet? That wouldn't go well with any of the Resistance, whom she was sure held high hopes toward Luke teaching Rey.

"It was just basics," she finally finished flatly. "But never mind me, what about you?"

She could tell he wanted to hear more about her, but the finality in her voice managed to convince him not to ask any further questions.

Finn launched into a long story on how he and Rose met and took a huge risk and traveled to Canto Bight on Cantoinia and his adventures there, to which Rey interjected with her small bouts of laughter and disbelief.

Conversation flowed with ease, and Rey found herself warming up to these conversations that used to be a part of her life before she had left for Ahch-To. But when Finn got to the part where they were captured by the First Order as a result of DJ's double-cross, the nagging presence in the back of her mind resurfaced and bothered her until she could no longer keep it within herself.

"Crait, huh," Rey pondered, entranced at how the snow beneath her feet turned blood red when she trodded through.

"Yeah. I was just filled in. Apparently it used to be an old Rebel base. Abandoned now, but the base is still fully functional."

Rey's heart dropped. Her fears were affirmed. The fighting was not finished. War would keep raging, until one side emerged victorious.

"H—How many, Finn?"

At her crestfallen tone, Finn's head lowered.

"Hundreds."

"There were only hundreds to begin with, Finn," Rey said, tears climbing to the front of her eyes. "That's not a good enough answer!"

Finn shirked away, and both of their pacing slowed.

"Just a handful," he admitted. "There's only a handful of us that remain."

Rey's heart sank. Hundreds. Hundreds of faceless, and hundreds of people who suffered. Hundreds who believed in the Resistance until their last breath. Hundreds who died, and she did nothing to help prevent it. All the time that was wasted waiting for Luke to teach her on Ahch-To, only to briefly learn the fundamental basics before being shunned.

A firm hand shook her shoulder. "Rey?"

"Sorry," she muttered, realizing they had stopped.

Finn grasped Rey's hand in both of his. For a split second, Rey almost wanted to jerk back. She could see it in his eyes—Finn valued them just as she did, but he desired something more, something that went beyond the realm simple friendship. Even with her lack of experience in the field of relationships, Rey could still identify the signs when they manifested. She didn't feel the same, but she didn't have the heart to tell him off. So she accepted his touch, and she hated herself all the more for it.

Finn smiled, and her heart sank even more. To see someone with so much optimism and hope for the future only fueled her shame for her lack of.

"We'll have to make do with what we have, but it's a good start," he said, before flourishing the space beyond where they stood.

"Welcome to the new Resistance."

She was in the heart of the bunker.

A massive enclosure surrounded her from all sides for as far as the eye could see. The lighting was dim, but even still, she could distinguish how colossal the ceiling rose. Layers upon layers of equipment were stacked on another; some still had the once-white, now-dusty gray coverings on them that served to protect the tools from external decay, while others had already been lifted off by Resistance members hard at work. A cluster of what Rey could only assume to be fighters loomed off to one side. Boots maneuvered around the area crowded by what seemed like crystal foxes, which scurried away from the firm path Resistance members took to reach their next task. Dozens more crystal foxes crowded around her, and she felt their noses sniffing her body, curious at yet another new visitor.

But once Rey saw her, all noise disappeared. The only thing she could focus on was the woman standing strong in front of her, even after everything she had been through. And the next thing Rey knew, she was running forward, straight into her arms.

"Oh, Leia," Rey cried, accepting the woman's embrace. "I'm so sorry." She hugged the lady tightly, and felt her hand awkwardly pat her on the back.

"I know, Rey, I know. But in times like these, we must stay strong," General Organa told her.

"How can you still stand here after everything that's happened? Finn told me the news. Hundreds, Leia. Hundreds."

A wave of pain washed over Leia's face. "I know, Rey. I know. But there's only one path, and that's forward. Snoke won't rest until—"

Rey shook her head. "Supreme Leader Snoke is dead. Kylo Ren killed him."

She felt Leia tense under her arms before pulling away. Rey immediately missed the warmth and contact.

"Ben…My son, killed Snoke?" she asked.

Rey saw the warning signs too soon, and regretted how eagerly she told her the news.

"Leia, it's not like that. As twisted as this sounds, he did it to save me. Snoke was threatening Kylo, commanding him to take my life. But instead—"

"But instead, the dark master's apprentice disobeyed and took the lightsaber to Snoke instead."

Her eyes widened when she heard the unmistakable voice. Rey whirled around. "Luke?"

"I came as soon as I could," he said gruffly, speaking more to Leia instead of Rey. She felt a tinge of annoyance but pinned it down.

"I could lecture you for days on how you should have come earlier," Leia chastised. "But now is not the time for it. All that matters is you came."

"There's a shift in the Force," he said in an undertone. "I can feel it."

Leia hesitated at first, but then nodded. "I can too, and when Rey explained to me how Snoke was dead…I thought it was that at first. But this feeling still looms within me. They're coming. They're coming, Luke. My son."

"Wait a minute."

The two wizened adults turned and both looked at Rey. She couldn't help but soak in her Master's appearance. His facial hair was even wilder now, and there were prominent wrinkles splotched over his skin that were not there when she visited him on Ahch-To. He was old.

Rey turned to back to Leia. "You're _Force-sensitive_?"

"Well, of course she is!" Luke burst out, stretching his body toward her. "She's my sister! We run from the same line of blood."

"It doesn't matter!" Leia mimicked, and Rey realized that this wasn't Leia anymore, but General Organa. "Right now, the First Order is sending everything they have. We must prepare. So soon…"

Rey turned her head incredulously between the two. "Kylo…" she murmured.

She was not stupid. She knew that, even with the functioning Rebel base at their disposal, they would stand no chance against the wrath of the whole First Order. With Snoke dead, she doubted there was a successor appointed by the power-hungry, evil fiend. He wouldn't have believed that he could be killed. But he was, which meant only one thing: Kylo Ren now led the First Order.

It was worth a try.

 _Can you hear me?_ she projected into the abyss. She quietly waited for a response. If she could talk reason into him, maybe he would pull back.

But there was nothing. There was no familiar tingling in the back of her head. She could sense his presence, but it was muted and indistinguishable from the rest of the thriving galaxy. The familiar cord that had linked them when they spoke to each other was now camouflaged in the pitch-black void in her head.

The two of them nodded, an unspoken conversation passing between the pair. This did not go unnoticed by Rey.

"I will deal with him. Rey, Leia, go."

At her protest, he raised his hand.

"This battle must end here and now," he said. "There is no other way."

"But the Resistance needs all the help it can get," she protested. "You cannot stand here and honestly tell me to my face that you can go out there and face the entireFirst Order _and_ Kylo Ren!"

"No, Rey," Leia input. "I agree with my brother on this. This is Luke's fate, and his fight. I must say, I had hoped we'd have more time. It's too dangerous, and we need all the hands we can to safely evacuate everyone."

"No," Rey said.

"No?" Leia questioned. Luke remained silent.

"No," Rey repeated. She took a menacing step forward. "I will _not_ let Luke go out there and face him alone. In no way am I undermining your strength," she said, turning to her Master, "But you are going to need all the help you can get, and I am more than capable enough to hold my own!"

"Rey—"

"No!" Rey repeated, this time louder. "I fought him on Starkiller and won! I fought him again in Snoke's throne room. I can take him. If you will not let me fight him alone, then at least let me join alongside you!" Her vigor began to fizzle. "Please," she swallowed. "Master."

Luke stared at her for what seemed like centuries. He dipped his head, and his action, Rey knew she would not be able to coerce him into letting her fight, no matter what she did.

"You are not ready, Rey," Luke said. "You are not ready."

Rey bristled in anger, but as quickly as it came, it disappeared. She understood the underlying, hidden message Luke conveyed in his rejection. The few lessons she received from him on Ahch-To all emphasized spiritual balance and harmony. To become one with the Force, and not let her emotions cloud her judgement. Luke had said it again and again. Rey's shoulders drooped when she realized that it was not a lesson she had obeyed. Her anger had gotten the best of her multiple times within the last day.

In other words, Luke was terrified.

"You're afraid I'll succumb to him. You're afraid my anger will lead to my downfall," Rey whispered, brushing aside the feeling of betrayal.

Luke shook his head, refusing to acknowledge Rey's words. But both of them, and even General Organa knew, that it was true. "Stay out of this fight, Rey. That's an order."

Although a bitter taste was welling in the back of her mouth, Rey knew that she was wrong to disobey. She knew Luke and Leia's concern was warranted. With a stupendous effort, she gritted, "Yes, Master."

Luke nodded, giving her his approval, before turning to Leia, who had been silent the entire time the exchange had been taking place. He leaned in ever-so-slightly until his the aged wrinkles in his face and his unkempt beard brushed against Leia's nose as he pressed his lips to her forehead.

He gave her a forlorn smile. She saw him slip something inside of Leia's hand. And then he left without even saying goodbye to Rey.

"Ready our defenses," she heard Leia order. "Let's see what this old base can do."

Rey heard Leia giving orders to the remaining few members of the Resistance, and she saw them run over to the junky behemoths hidden beneath their covers, but it was hard for her to go and help. She stood there, trying to dissipate her anger, while Leia continuously barked orders.

Before long, only a trickle of Resistance fighters remained in the operations room. Everyone else—and Rey did a headcount of thirteen individuals—got into the speeders, including Finn, and a few more dozen individuals took to the trenches with loaded weapons. She swallowed. They were on a suicide mission. It was selfish to feel this way, but Rey couldn't help but cross fingers and hope that if one person made it back, it would be Finn.

She wondered if the speeders would even function. They looked like scrap pieces of metal that would fall apart with a single brush of a feather. From the looks of things, a few people's speeders failed to start after an initial throttle, but a few more attempts led to some serious coughing as the hunky pieces of machinery roared to life. A few members turned their head around to Leia and gave her a curt nod, as if they knew this was the last time they would be able to see their beloved General.

From the confines of the bunker, Rey could see a looming mass of First Order. What seemed like giant modified AT-ATs finished their remaining steps and stood sentinel, guarding something what seemed like a disturbingly mammoth cannon. And right above the weapon of mass destruction was a familiar black command shuttle Rey knew all too well from its landing down on Takodana. The Resistance speeders pushed up to meet them, but Rey's heart sank when she saw that they were easily outnumbered and outscaled.

But behind them all stood Luke. He made his way forth, emerging from one of the speeders and walked forward at a slow, deliberate pace. Her head pulsed with fire and Rey winced at the emotional bond that was thriving off Kylo Ren's hate toward the man he could so visibly identify from even his distance.

Rey could sense movement, and then her vision disappeared altogether and was replaced with a black canvas. Kylo Ren was standing in the cockpit of his command shuttle with a few First Order pilots and a ginger man in a command cap. The man tensed even more at the sudden intrusion in his mind, but did not eviscerate her from his confines. Instead, he opened the bond and let her in so she could hear his voice loud and clear.

"Send me down. Open fire at will on the V-4X-D speeders and the Resistance scum hiding in the trenches, but do not launch an attack on the old fool. He is mine to deal with—"

"Supreme Leader, it would be advisable if we opened fire on every fighting member of their force, _including_ Skywalker, while our cannon—"

The general began choking and his hands flew to his throat. His eyes started to protrude out of their sockets, and his tongue dangled out like a dog in summer heat.

"You seem to forget who is leading the First Order, Hux." Rey's mouth fell open. "I am the Supreme Leader. You abide by my rules. Do not disobey my command."

"Stop!" she shouted, but he couldn't hear her.

The man in front of her was beginning to turn blue. His eyes were inexplicably watering and rolling to the back of his head. Rey could do nothing but watch in spectative horror as the life began seeping out of his eyes.

Rey's stomach contorted in disgust and amazement at the interaction between the pair. Disgust at how Kylo Ren was expendably treating his allies, and how little he cared for human life.

And then Kylo let him loose. The disgraced man collapsed to the floor and his hands reflexively began to massage his throat. One of the pilots shot a sympathetic look at the man wheezing beneath him, but under the Supreme Leader's glare, he turned back to the control panel and began pushing buttons.

"Descending. Hangar opening now, Supreme Leader."

"Good."

She saw through the window of the command shuttle that they were descending, and he turned his back to her. She saw the floor, doubling as a door, drop forward, and Kylo Ren leaving the shuttle. She saw the audible sighs of relief coming from the First Order pilots and the clench of General Hux's jaw at their new Supreme Leader's methodologies. But most of all, she could feel the inner torment threatening to tear Kylo Ren apart from inside out.

And then she was pushed out of his mind.

Maker, Kylo Ren was Supreme Leader now. Rey had to shake her head twice before it finally sunk in. The title that burned fear into enemy eyes and held as much spoken power as a god—it was all his to take.

Rey felt herself torn at the new Supreme Leader, and she found herself occupying time by pondering on each Supreme Leader's conduct. From what she had seen and heard in the throne room, Snoke had been a manipulative Force-user and a power-thirsty fiend who would stop at nothing to get what he so selfishly wanted. Kylo, on the other hand…there was good in him. She knew it. She didn't know what the Force bond entitled, and Master Luke had never mentioned anything of it to her, but it was telling her that Kylo Ren was, in a sense, someone she could trust. Someone she—and Maker forbid she admit it— _needed_.

The General's painful grip on Rey's forearm was what startled her out of her reverie. She lifted her head to view observe the skirmish, and she gasped.

Muddy red trails, which looked like the results of a child's drawing, zigzagged sloppily until their paths led to small swarms of flame burning high, with the charcoal-colored remains of smoke drifting upward until it fully evaporated in the sky. The destruction of all the V-4X-D ski speeders. Rey turned her attention to the grounded Rebel turrets. Every last one of them, from one side of the battlefield to the other, were destroyed, with only the fumes from the loss of innocent lives remaining.

Rey didn't need to use her eyes anymore when she could sense with the Force. The destruction of all of the Resistance speeders led to the First Order's armored weapons gazing shrewdly and unmoving—demonstrative of a new silent stalemate, a product of a quake of high magnitude from within her. There was an inner turmoil raging on inside, and she attributed this to the start of Kylo Ren and Luke's deadly fight.

Rey didn't know what was going to happen, but she knew one thing for sure: there was no way Luke could take care of Kylo Ren and the troops at his disposal. Even if Luke overpowered him, the rest of the First Order would not let his victory go without consequence. She gripped her lightsaber tightly.

"I need to help," she grit.

"Luke always had a bad predilection toward following orders," Leia said from her side. "And it is apparent in you too. However, it is in your best interest to remain where you are."

Rey couldn't believe what she was hearing.

"Leia, you are the most rational person I've ever met, but even this is outrageous. He's one man against an army!" At Leia's silence, she continued. "Look at him! He's fighting out there—alone! He needs help, or are you just going to sit and watch as your brother _dies_?"

She had gone too far. Leia's eyes flashed angrily.

"You will stand down."

Rey puffed, and tried a different, softer approach. "Whatever sentiments you hold toward you son is wrongly construing your decisions. That is Kylo Ren, mad with revenge. Not Ben." She stood up and rolled the balls of her feet back and forth, coming to an ultimatum. "I'm going."

"Rey, no!" Leia protested. She got to her feet as well and stood in front of Rey, blocking her path forward.

"Move out of the way, Leia," Rey warned.

The woman in front of her refused to budge. Now she knew where Kylo Ren got his stubbornness from.

"I can't let you go," she said.

"Let me go."

The mule shook her head. "No."

"Let. Me. Go. This is your last warning."

Leia took a step forward in her direction and waved her hand at a few Resistance members, who had taken a few steps toward the two of them. At her command, they backed off.

"No."

"What, Leia? What? What are you going to do? Stop me?" Rey found her grip on her lightsaber involuntarily tightening.

Leia seemed to sense a stirring inside her. "You can't go, Rey."

"Why not?!"

"Because!"

"Because _what_?"

"Because!" Leia sighed. "Because Luke has seen this in a vision!"

"So that's what you two were doing, speaking of behind my back?"

"Rey, I—no, we—need you to understand—"

"Force visions aren't guaranteed! They can easily be manipulated," she said, remembering bitterly how Snoke twisted whatever relationship Kylo and herself had. "The future can change on a whim, and just because he saw this in a vision doesn't mean it's going to come true!" she petulantly argued.

"Rey, you listen to me—"

"No, Leia, you listen to _me_!" Rey hissed, losing control. Her fingers twitched, and before she knew what she was doing, she held out the same hand. She saw Leia's eyes widen for a split second. But it was too late.

Rey Force-pushed Leia. Hard. The General toppled over and her back collided with the cold pavement. A pitiful groan erupted from her throat as she struggled to overcome the pain. There was a reason why she led behind the fighting lines. Years of being at the front had taken its toll on her, and her age had begun to catch up to her.

Seeing Leia in a vulnerable position immediately filled Rey with regret. But the longer she took to let the regret sink in, the longer she would take to reach Luke.

"I'm sorry," she said. "I have to do this."

And with that, she walked out. Past the few remaining dumbfounded Resistance members in charge of guarding the General, and past the broken fort entrance that was bombarded by the First Order's cannon. She passed everything until she was outside, and then her pacing turned into a jog, and then her jogging turned into a sprint. Ahead of her, she could spy blue clashing with blue in a beautiful battle. A deadly battle.

The remaining First Order vehicles–the humongous walkers and TIE fighters, Kylo Ren's command shuttle and the superlaser siege cannon—all stood silent, waiting for their leader to emerge victorious. Rey presumed Kylo Ren wanted all the glory himself.

She was getting closer and closer. She noticed a walker head turning in her direction, but no other measures were taken to acknowledge her presence, so she pressed on. When she was within distance, she yelled, "Stop!"

She could sense through the Force that the two men had heard her. But what surprised her even more was that both finished colliding their lightsabers together one last time before launching themselves backwards. Luke leapt backwards gracefully and landed evenly on both his feet near Rey, while Kylo Ren's finesse was sloppier. He tumbled to one knee before raising himself up.

Jutting her foot out graceful, she skidded to a stop next to her Master, leaving a trail of red mineral debris in her wake.

Rey contemplated for what seemed like a long time on what she was to say. She could hear it playing poorly in her head. Such a sensitive Force user like Luke had to have known if another sensitive Force user—his sister—was injured. Suddenly Rey felt miniscule. She waited for Luke to reprimand her.

"What are you doing here, Rey?" Luke questioned. There was no disappointment in his voice, to her surprise.

"Yes, well, you said goodbye to your sister but not me. Couldn't leave without you biding me a proper farewell."

She was so lame.

"I know you well enough to know you were going to disobey my orders," Luke admitted. "You would not have been stopped, even if I had parted ways with you. If we make it out of this, I will fulfill your requirements."

Rey felt the corner of her lips curl into a small smile. What a shrewd character. Some of her uncertainty shrank, and confidence took its place; confidence bred by Luke's acceptance. They would fight together.

"Kylo Ren!" she shouted at the unmasked man standing a solid distance away from them.

"Scavenger," he scowled back.

It was Rey's turn to scowl. "I have a name."

"Names hold respect. I will only accept you once you prove yourself worthy."

"The more you talk, the greater my boredom grows," Rey responded. She fingered the hilt of her weapon before unstrapping it. She ignited her lightsaber and internally moaned at the low purr of the beast.

"Rey…" Luke warned. She saw his eyes glued to her lightsaber.

"It's a long story," Rey admitted, secretly hoping Luke couldn't read her opinions on her weapon. Then, feeling as if her indirect dismissal was disrespectful, she added, "Master."

Luke nodded. "Padawan."

Rey returned his nod, and then turned to her enemy.

"I came here to fight! To take you down and rip the First Order apart," she announced. "We will defeat you!"

"We shall see," Kylo Ren replied, and that was all he said before he ran towards them.

"Remember what I taught you, Rey," Luke warned, as Kylo approached them. "Remember the Jedi way."

Rey could only think to agree before she was forced to pit her foot to the side and slide away from Kylo's first attack.

The man rushed at them like a feral animal, and even with the combined forces of her and Luke, they still spent more time on the defensive than aggressive.

Luke parried Kylo's side slash. The momentum of Kylo's swing carried the attack into Rey, and she too had to block him with her red lightsaber. Luke went on the offensive, and thrust his elbow up toward the sky before flicking his wrist forward, launching an attack from below. But Kylo easily sidestepped his attempt and then Force-pushed him away. Rey took advantage of this and rushed in with a shout, aiming to disarm the man by using sheer force, but once again, he was too quick.

Rey felt a foot collide with her chest and all the air was knocked out of her as she went soaring backward into Luke. The old Jedi caught her just before she hit the ground.

"Thanks, Luke," Rey grinned. "I mean, Master."

Luke shook his head and frowned. "Restrain yourself, Rey. I know you are eager to fight, but emotions—"

"I know, Master," she panted. "Lecture me after we take him down."

Luke seemed hesitant, but then he agreed. The two prepared their stances and waited until Kylo Ren launched himself at them again.

This time, the two Jedi worked congruently. Both of them dueled with their respective halves—since Rey was standing on Luke's right, she emphasized more of her attacks from the right, and Luke did the same, only from his left. Their combined efforts slowly but surely pushed a common enemy back. Before long, Kylo Ren was pressing dangerously close to one of the AT-M6's feet.

Rey and Luke both managed to trap his lightsaber by keeping it low, parallel to the ground, by aiming high with theirs and then swinging downward. Luke's lightsaber caught the Kylo's near its hilt, and Rey's red lightsaber caught Kylo's toward the tip. The enemy was on the defensive; both of his hands were gripped sweatily around his hilt, and Rey could tell through the bulges of his garment that Kylo was applying as much upward pressure as he could to keep the two Jedis at bay.

Rey steadied herself, and thought back to a few hours ago where she was in the cockpit on the First Order ship, practicing her attacks. She remembered the slight jerk in her wrist that was required for one of the crossguards to twist itself around the enemy's weapon and dislocate it. She brought this action to the forefront of her mind and executed it.

Kylo Ren took advantage of the sudden, slight change in pressure and broke free from their hold. Master and Padawan stumbled back and Kylo took advantage of their disoriented footing by Force-pushing them back with both hands.

The impact was like a large blast of wind from a tornado. Both Rey and Luke went flying, and they landed clumsily on their limbs.

All three of them panted heavily, Kylo Ren more so than Rey or Luke. She knew he was tiring. Two Force users against one? Hardly fair. She was even secretly pleased that he had lasted this long.

Rey stuck out her right arm as long as it would extend, and held the lightsaber in front of her. "I quite like dueling with this," she said, more to Kylo than to herself.

From where he stood, Kylo responded, "Because of its design or because you fraternize more with the symbolism of my blade?"

Rey bristled. "Maybe it's neither. Maybe it's because I can't wait to see you slain by your own weapon." She brought the lightsaber down, and for a second, relished in the sizzle as it burned the ground away. Time to get serious.

"So feisty," Kylo Ren hissed.

Rey opened her eyes. She let out a battle cry, and then dashed forward again.

Rey charged in, harnessing her hate and anger toward her Master's former Padawan—blinded by the anger of a thousand suns, directed at the man who was the reason for millions of deaths and lost families. She leaped off the ground, holding high over her head the crackling red weapon of hate, ready to pounce on Kylo and dish serious harm.

"Rey!" Luke shouted, but it was too late. The girl had let the tight grip he so emphasized on her emotions go. The coil was getting looser and looser, and with each knot that was undone, her anger grew.

And not only that, but the girl's desire for revenge blocked out all her senses. She couldn't sense the upcoming danger, but Luke could.

He was too late.

During their intermittence, Kylo Ren had been secretly channeling the Force, to a terrifying degree that he was able to, on an instinctual level, predict what Rey would do.

The new battle was over faster than it had begun. With a speed so terrifyingly rapid that seemed to go against all reason, Kylo Ren pushed off foot of the AT-M6 and dodged her attack. Instead of leaping away or bringing up the blue lightsaber to meet Rey's, he ducked.

Rey's momentum caused her to miss her attack, and she fell forward, past him.

Right into Kylo Ren's strike.

His lightsaber arched up and over his head and slid by the left side of his temple before he utilized his forearm and pushed backwards. Bypassing her unprepared defenses, Rey's eyes widened just a fraction too late. Her speed carried her forward, but it wasn't quick enough to avoid his faster grace. She turned her head.

Just in time to watch him thrust his lightsaber into the back of her left thigh.

Rey crumpled to the ground and screamed. She had never known pain as substantial as this. Days, even weeks, where she went without portions on Jakku didn't hold a candle to this. This pain was physical. It wasn't mental, like Snoke's intrusion, or spiritual, like the hunger gnawing from the inside out. This pain was blistering.

Rey's yelps turned into desperate whimpering when she tried getting up but lost her balance and tumbled forward onto one knee in a kneeling position directly in front of her injurer. Her lightsaber clicked off and tumbled off uselessly off the snow until it landed in front of him.

"Rey!" Very dimly, she could hear her master shouting for her. But his voice, which always reverberated throughout space, seemed very distant.

"L—Luke," she grit. The Force was lashing, but as soon she felt it do so, it retreated.

Kylo Ren had stuck the palm of his hand out toward Luke.

"Enough. Take one more step and she dies." He emphasized the severity of his statement by calling his lightsaber to his other hand with the Force. The red lightsaber crackled greedily, pleased that it was back in its true master's possession. He prepped the two and placed them in an X formation next to Rey's neck. His red lightsaber's spit of flame was dangerously close to Rey—so close she could feel strands of her hair burn away.

"You _coward_ ," Rey snarled, her cheeks stinging from the sparks spewing from the red blade. But the pain was minimal compared to the gaping wound in her thigh.

"You have failed. Anything you say is unavailing," he said, voice uncannily indifferent.

"Ben—"

"Test me. Test me!" he immediately snapped, at Luke. "Test me, _Skywalker_. Put her life in your hands and we shall see how this sequence of events play out!"

"You're deranged," Rey whispered, trying her hardest to avoid the throbbing.

Kylo Ren turned his attention back to her. His eyes skimmed up and down her figure and at the position she was in. Rey shivered uncomfortably.

"You know," he drawled. "Kneeling suits you." He toed her foot. "My _apprentice_."

Realizing the position she was in, she got up. Or, at least, tried to. The clean wound had torn through a solid chunk of her hamstring muscle and accompanying nerves, and Rey's renewed efforts at standing only resulted in her toppling back down to the ground at the loss of her leg's motor control.

"Never," she frustratingly uttered.

Kylo Ren's muscles tensed and his grip on the lightsabers tightened. Rey saw this.

"You wouldn't dare," she challenged. If it was one thing she knew for certain, it was that he couldn't harm her. Something about the Force in her hummed with knowledge; knowledge that neither Kylo Ren nor herself could do the other harm. She was confident he wouldn't, and yet, the confidence began to die away as she lifted her head and stared into his eyes. Any shred of salvation she could find was too deep, too far gone. Lost in the darkness.

For the first time, she was truly terrified that Kylo Ren would hurt her.

But her fears were assuaged when she felt the bright hum of Luke's lightsaber noisily surround her. Kylo retreated the executional formation he had placed on Rey's neck, and brought both sabers up to defend himself at the Jedi's attack.

Seeing Rey injured seemed to give the old man renewed vigor, but even he was unprepared for the flurry of strikes his enemy presented. Kylo Ren was difficult to stop with one lightsaber, but he seemed to have a higher affinity with two lightsabers. He was now truly unstoppable, and Rey could do nothing but yell for her Master when Kylo gracefully swept above Luke's bearing.

Red and blue collided in a frenzy of sparks that seemed to ignite the ground beneath them. Luke was trapped, holding his lightsaber awkwardly under Kylo's—his right arm was supinated, and the tip of his lightsaber was buried in the ground. Which meant his body was defenseless. If Rey knew the outcome of this battle, then Kylo definitely would.

The man dressed in black took his other lightsaber, and with no hesitation, cut through Luke's hand—the metallic one—and disarmed him.

"No!" Rey shouted. "No!"

Time seemed to pass in slow-motion. She saw Kylo throw his blue lightsaber to the ground. She saw him twist his grip on the red lightsaber. She saw him lift the lightsaber to his eye level and stare down the length of the blade. He hesitated for the smallest of seconds. She saw him swoop forward.

And in that last moment, Rey's eyes turned to her beloved Master. His wrinkles held a youthful exuberance to them. His eyes were open, but Rey could discern no fear, no sadness. Only calm.

She desperately reached out with her hand, trying to touch, to _feel_ her Master one last time.

But she never made it. With a roar from the blade, Kylo Ren pierced his lightsaber through the heart of Luke Skywalker.

His body toppled uselessly to the ground by Kylo Ren's foot. A few seconds of stunned silence passed.

And then all hell broke loose.

"No!" Rey screamed. The sight of her deceased Master fueled her with an energy she had never felt before—a power that burned like the hottest sun, and filled her with such a high intensity of warmth that her pain was no longer at the forefront of her mind. The Force, lamenting, flowed through her veins like rich blood, so tantalizing that she gave in to the raw strength coursing throughout her entire body.

Rey stood up.

"You—"

Kylo Ren turned around, and Rey saw his face morph into a new emotion: surprise.

Rey didn't even notice the raw tears seeping down her face, nor how blurred her vision was because of it. It was like something else other than her conscious thought was controlling her thought. She took a step forward shakily, but still managed to stand erect. Kylo Ren was staring at her with shock and amazement, not even bothering to bring his lightsaber up to defend himself when Rey called Luke's to her. Rey continued limping toward him.

"Killer!" she screamed. "Murderer! You slaughtered Luke Skywalker!" Another step.

"Silence!" Kylo screamed back, brandishing his lightsaber to her face threateningly. "You will not bring up his name!"

"Do you think I care?!" Rey spit. She lifted up her arm with the lightsaber and weakly attempted to slash at him. A look of apprehensive pity came into his eyes and he raised his lightsaber in a half-hearted attempt at blocking her slow, elementary strike.

"Why?" she asked. "Why did you kill him? Why did you kill my Master? Your—your uncle."

"Scavenger."

"Don't call me that," she said weakly. "I hate you. I hate you."

She swung her arm sloppily over and over again, but her grip was flimsy. Kylo Ren flicked his wrist lazily and caught her hopeless, meager attacks each and every time. He had every opportunity to drive his weapon through her heart, but he refrained from striking back.

Rey thrust her arm forward again and attempted one last time to hit him with her stick. Kylo Ren didn't even have to dodge or move, for her lightsaber never came in contact with him. It slipped out of her hand halfway through her strike and fell on the ground.

Rey unfocusedly gazed at the weapon that lay uselessly below her. "No…"

The hate fizzled out of her, and she found that with the lack of this emotion, her legs buckled beneath her. She tumbled back to the ground and propped herself up with both arms. Her hair, usually tied in a traditional three buns that she had always done her entire life—had become undone in her frenzy and now lay strewn over her face, covering her right eye.

"This isn't fair," she whispered, staring at the weapon who had lost its master. "It—it wasn't supposed to end like this."

Kylo Ren seemed to come to his senses. He began pacing around Rey predatorily. She refused to turn her head and meet his cold, killer stare. She didn't need to. Every single one of her senses, and every single one of her neurons, were honed in on him. There was no environment. There was no one else on the battlefield. All she saw was him.

"Concede defeat," she heard him say. "Concede defeat and I will spare you."

Kylo continued to pace, surrounding Rey slowly. Even with her drooping eyelids, she could see a circle of red from the salty ground appear around her with his every step.

"If that is what you wish, then. The Resistance will see ruin."

"No. Don't harm them."

"Your demand means nothing to me, girl. Have you stopped to consider that your life is at my mercy?"

"Don't talk about life. You know nothing about it, you murdering bastard!" she yelled, glaring daggers at him. A spark was back in her eyes. "I thought there was salvation in you, but you just did the unforgiveable, you loathsome fiend!"

"If there is war, there is pain. Is it so bad to merely restoring peace to the galaxy? Is that how you see me, Rey? An unjust killer?" Kylo threatened, bringing his head down to Rey's ear. He removed the glove from his right hand. She turned her head to the side, refusing his touch—refusing to acknowledge how close they were. Rey caught her breath at how softly his words were spoken.

"Please, Kylo," Rey panted. She saw a flash before his eyes, and she took this as a positive sign. "Please, leave the Resistance out of this. I know this is your vendetta, but let me have this."

Kylo Ren stared at her ominously. Nothing in his face betrayed any emotion. His green eyes were level with her own hazel ones. He had just killed Luke Skywalker. His biggest threat was vanquished. There would be no more fighting when he had the power to slaughter everyone. The Resistance was all but defeated.

"Please," she whimpered, so softly she didn't even know whether Kylo could hear the infinitesimal word leave her lips. "For me. I beg you."

Refusing to break eye contact, Rey did the unthinkable. She leaned in and allowed the tips of Kylo Ren's still-outstretched fingers to gently caress her sweaty cheek.

Rey's eyes widened. Something unrecognizable flitted over his face.

She saw his eyes gaze at her with an intensity beyond the likes of which she had ever seen. Her hazel eyes pooled into his green ones, and she held contact with his until they rolled upwards.

The last thing she saw was the clear sky tainted with the ashes of destruction, and then everything went black.


	3. Chapter 3

Rey started.

At first, she thought she had gone blind. Her eyes were no longer functioning, and all she could see was black. But then she realized the environment around her was the cause of her lack of vision.

Her head pounded like crazy. It throbbed and pulsed, and she couldn't help but wince at every ache that shot through her brain.

The surroundings were still pitch-black and she let her eyes grow accustomed to it. Shadowy outlines of immovable objects loomed around and over her. It almost looked like she was in a storage room.

The only distance she could see up to was directly in front of her. The small tunic she was dressed in scarcely suppressed the cold, bare press of the metal of her seat against her back. Her wrists were locked in equally cold armrests on either side of her, and her ankles were of the same status. The chair was similar, but she knew by her environment that the room she was in was different from the interrogation room she was placed in the first time she was captured by him, on Takodana.

Hopefully, there would be Stormtroopers again this time. But she heavily doubted it. Her captor was smart. It wouldn't have taken much thought process to realize how she had escaped the first time. And the poor Stormtrooper that had fallen for her mind control…she gulped. From what Finn had told her, reconditioning was a nightmare.

The temperature in the room was freezing, and she shivered. Her usual clothes usually provided enough warmth to sleep outside on Ahch-To, but for some reason her usual taupe pants seemed awfully more comfortable.

Her head tilted down to see that her pants were gone. Instead, a darker piece of clothing had replaced hers. Confused, she quickly pondered that it was because of her injury, and she took a chance and flexed her left hamstring to test whether it was at least patched.

Her mouth dropped open. Even though her legs were covered, she could feel her hamstring functioning. Sure, it was sore, but she could feel the muscle grating against the other muscles. There was an aching sensation like she would sometimes get after a strenuous workout on Jakku, but the pain was nowhere close to the pain she experienced on Crait.

She was so preoccupied examining her leg that she didn't notice the figure in the corner until he spoke.

"You are awake."

Her head twisted and she stared off to her left.

What she originally thought was a pile of something draped over by a cloth was actually a solid mass of man sitting down in a chair too small for him—a chair that would fit a small kid in an even smaller classroom, but nothing larger; Rey knew this from the educational holovids she had once traded two weeks' portions for.

"Where am I?" she asked. She subconsciously yanked her hands to try to defend herself, only to remember that they were latched in when she felt pressure instead.

The man in the chair stood up to his full height. He was taller than she had assumed, given his slightly slouched stance when he battled. She had to resist the urge to shudder and shy away.

"You are aboard the Finalizer."

The Finalizer…Rey racked her memories, but came up short. She could only assume it was one of the First Order's ships.

As if Kylo Ren read her mind, he said, "It is one of the very few ships we have remaining in our armada."

Rey stared at him incredulously. "Few ships? You realize you're giving me helpful bits of information that I could feed to the Resistance."

Kylo Ren waved his arm nonchalantly.

"I don't anticipate you making contact with the enemy anytime soon. Your body was searched. There was a tracking beacon that you had in your possession. It has been removed for your safety."

"For _my_ safety?" she asked incredulously. Then, pouring back over his words, she flushed a crimson shade of red. Secretly, she was glad the room was dark, so that he didn't see her blush.

"You searched me?"

"The medical droid."

"Oh."

"Who else do you think fit you into those pants?"

"I don't know…" Rey looked away from his unwavering stare.

"Do you really think I could force myself on you? You may see me how you wish, but I would never stoop that low."

"I don't care what you have to say," Rey spat, her demeanor instantly changing. "There is no way I would ever let you touch me with your murderous hands."

She didn't have to see to know that the corner of his mouth curled up into a smirk.

"You seemed all too willing to lean into my touch on Crait."

Rey laughed, and it seemed to stupefy Kylo, if only for a moment.

"You seem to think that I willingly allowed you to touch me," she said in disbelief. He really was deluded. "I only did what I needed to do to keep preserve the Resistance."

She felt the temperature in the room drop ten degrees.

"That is a lie," he hissed. "That is a lie, and you know it."

He closed some of the distance between himself and her.

"No," Rey retorted, wishing that her movements weren't restricted. "It's not. My interests lay in the getting the Resistance to safety. I was just a distraction."

"No," Kylo repeated, but his denouncing was full of uncertainty, whereas Rey's was full of conviction. "You're lying. The connection between—"

The Force inside of her told her to step away from the scenario, to just shut up and stop taunting him, but she couldn't stop the words that tumbled out of her mouth.

"I'm sure the rest of the Resistance already escaped from Crait in the Millennium Falcon. You have no way to track them. Poe, Finn, Leia—"

"Be quiet!" she heard him snarl.

She realized her mistake too late, when the room turned into a dark red brightness after Kylo Ren ignited his lightsaber. He took a step forward in her direction.

"You know nothing!" he screamed, brandishing his weapon in the air. "Do not say that vile woman's name! You know nothing about her!"

Rey was suddenly filled with a false sense of bravado at the man steadily approaching her. Even though she had hurt Leia, she couldn't help but be surged with an overwhelming touch of pride at the General.

"Leia has done more for me than anyone in my life! I owe her everything, and yet you, her son—"

"I am _not_ her son! Everything she has engrained in your feeble mind is the product of her lies and deceit!"

"Oh, I forgot," Rey sneered. "You killed your uncle! I don't think you would hesitate one second before slaughtering your own _mother_!"

"You will stop!" he screamed, his voice crackling. He was now at the foot of her bed, lightsaber by his side.

"Are you going to kill me too?" she asked. "Slaughter me as easily as you thoughtlessly slaughtered countless number of innocents?"

He took his lightsaber over his head. She brought her head up to meet his, and she could see the grip on his hilt tighten.

"Yes, show me who you _really_ are!" Rey snarled, shaking her hands in her binders. She could feel the contraption dig into her flesh and pinch her skin and nerves. "Show me who you _really_ are, Kylo Ren!"

She was fully prepared for him to end her life. After all, her purpose had been used up. Now that she turned herself in, there was no doubt that she would never be able to leave.

But, to her surprise, Kylo Ren let out an exasperated roar and left her side. The warmth of the blade disappeared, and the cool temperature of the room returned to her. She craned her head to where he vanished, and saw him furiously slashing away at one of the walls.

He let out an enraged scream and hacked away at the interior. Bright orange slash marks appeared as the result of the destruction of any supplies that were in his way. Clangs and smashes permeated her ears, and Rey could do nothing but watch the spectacle—watch as he dug deeper and deeper into the hull of the ship.

"Kylo, stop!"

All Kylo did to acknowledge her cries were to scream even louder and hack away at an even faster pace, if possible. Rey was sure he was going too far—judging by how much metal had melted from the infrastructure, it wouldn't be long before this quadrant of the ship would have to be evacuated.

She was filled with sudden concern, but whether it was at the inhabitants of the ship's safety, including her, or because of his unhinged emotional state, she didn't know. "Kylo!"

Rey really wished there weren't binders keeping her strapped in.

"Kylo!" she shouted one more time, this time the loudest. "Stop acting like a spoiled child!"

At the sound of her raised voice, he hesitated. She could tell that something inside of him had changed. Before, whatever connection that linked her to him was uncontrolled and rabid. But her voice was like a flicker of light inside of him; she could feel it, if only for a second. It was enough to stop him in his tracks from the undergoing onslaught.

Rey was filled with sudden unknown worry at how still he was, a drastic contrast with his demeanor a few seconds ago.

"Kylo?" she tentatively asked.

She could see the man on the other side of stiffen at her voice.

"Scavenger."

Rey bristled. His voice, although still half-filled with anger, was back to its usual callous tone.

"Are you done throwing a temper tantrum now, or are you going to continue and let everyone on this ship, including me and you, die a grisly death in space?"

She could sense him look down at the hand that wasn't holding the lightsaber, and him flexing it. He refused to move to her, but rather ignored her reproach by continuing to speak to her from his secluded corner.

"The First Order's infrastructure is more than enough to withstand a few strikes of my blade."

Rey wanted to laugh.

"This point is moot. Take a look at the damage you caused," she said.

She saw him take a look at the damage clearly for the first time, but he quickly lost interest in it.

"Do not ever speak to me of that woman ever again."

Rey bit her tongue. She was tempted to start chanting General Organa's name over and over again just to spite him, but thought better of it and kept baleful side at bay.

"Fine. So, where are we? And how long am I going to be kept here for?"

"You are to stay here as my guest."

"What do you mean, _guest_?" Rey scoffed. "It's obvious by these chains that I am more like your prisoner."

He raised a hand in her direction, and she flinched. But he made no move to invade her mind. Instead, she heard the soft clinks of her binders detach, and her wrists slipped out. She stared at him in disbelief. When she came to the conclusion that Kylo Ren, her captor and archenemy, had let her free from her shackles, she came to and hastily climbed out of her seat.

He seemed to read her mind.

"Do not take my leniency for weakness. There is nowhere for you to turn. Nowhere for you to run."

Rey sighed, more exasperated than intimidated. He was still in his little corner, his face turned away from her and facing the wall. Even with his activated lightsaber, she could sense by the swarm of emotions brewing in her that he was still in inner turmoil.

She slowly moved toward him, making sure to keep her balance steady. Her leg was working, but it was sore and she lost control a few times, almost tripping.

Finally, she approached him.

"Kylo," she murmured, aware of what she had done to put him into this mood. She reached out with her hand, and hesitated only for the smallest of seconds before she let her fingertips run over the gloved hand not holding his lightsaber.

She could feel a sharp intake of air and him begin to recoil, but she didn't say anything. Even with the leather separating their hands, the electricity still crackled like madness between the pair. The sensation was unlike anything she had ever felt—it was like an enhanced version of what she felt on Crait. Fear and anxiety and emotions she didn't know mixed around inside of her until it formed something greater—something corporeal. But it was something she couldn't pinpoint.

And as quickly as it had come, it vanished. Guilt washed over her like a bucket of ice water, and her fingers twitched.

Perhaps he detected a shift in the Force, or in their connection. Whatever it was, he knew better than to question it, and he let her go.

Rey's fingers moved from his hand and to the hilt of the lightsaber in his other one. He let her gently brush his finger away, and Rey had to remind herself yet again that this was her captor. Her enemy.

Turning it off, she took the lightsaber away from him, and he let her.

Kylo Ren turned around and Rey was hit with how his eyes were eerily calm. There were no flashes of anger, or desperation like he held in Snoke's throne room. There was only emptiness.

She debated on securing the lightsaber to her side, but thought better. The swap in Snoke's throne room was a mistake on both their parts, and Rey was sure Kylo that would be unwilling to depart with it this time, willingly. Filled with a trust that might have been false, she held the hilt and extended her hand to him.

Rey was suddenly hit with an all-too familiar memory of Starkiller Base, one that she had struggled to suppress. She remembered standing above, high over the stairwell of the fortress with Finn and Chewbacca, watching Han Solo tread his steps carefully toward Kylo Ren. She remembered the silent exchange of words between the pair which led to him taking off his helmet. And she remembered how Han held his grip on the lightsaber but Kylo was unwilling to depart with it, right before she heard the monstrous roar of the blade as it came to life and pierced his father right in the heart.

Jerking out of her memories, she looked down to see their stances in a very similar fashion. Her hand rested, outstretched, and Kylo Ren stood across from her, staring at the lightsaber.

She was the one who held all the power, and all Kylo could do was extend his hand and try to accept her offer. The position would leave him vulnerable.

Capable for her to do what he did to Han.

A pool of hatred manifested in her and she tightened her grip on the handle. Kylo, whose hand had already latched onto the hilt, tried to tug it toward him, but was met with resistance. His eyes darted up to meet hers, filled with acknowledgement at the danger that would manifest if Rey lost control.

Beads of sweat were beginning to pool on her face. Rey blinked back furiously, fighting the inner demon inside. Fighting to suppress the dark, rotten pit inside her and banish it into its slumber. She could imagine it—the ferocious bare of her teeth as she pressed the button and obliterated his life. The hilt began to shake from the pressure the two of them exerted on it.

"Rey." It was just one word, but it made all the difference in the galaxy.

Rey gasped. She couldn't do it. She was no killer. Stripping someone from life would make her no better than the First Order. No better than a murderer. That's what she told herself.

She relinquished her grip.

Kylo Ren took control of the lightsaber. He looked at her, almost strangely, but clipped it into his belt nonetheless.

"You never called me by my name before," Rey said, her name dimly echoing in her eardrums.

"And yet, why does it sound like you are accusing me?"

Rey avoided his gaze. "I'm not accusing. It just took me by surprise, that's all."

Kylo gave her a small smile, entirely opposite of his usual pernicious smirks.

"Can you walk?" he asked. "Because we have quite a ways to go."

Rey was slightly overwhelmed by his question. She rolled on the balls of her feet. The hamstring gave a little groan, but she could support herself.

"Yes, I can. Why do you ask?"

"I was expecting you to be out for half a day more. The sedatives wore off quicker than I would have liked them to."

"You sedated me?!"

"Would you rather have felt every prod the medical droid gave you at the medical bay?"

"Oh." Once again, she was at a loss for words.

Kylo Ren waved his hand and a door off to the side slid up.

"Come with me," he said, extending his hand to her.

Rey bit her lip, unsure of whether what she was doing was right. But one tap into her logic, and a second later, her shook her head no.

Kylo Ren looked at her and she could feel his gaze intensifying. She quickly began to backtrack before he lost control of his anger again.

"It's not that, Kylo," she said, quickly shaking her head. "I—"

"What?" he interrupted.

"I don't know!" Rey threw up her hands. "These feelings I get when I'm touching you! It's all because of this connection or whatever it is we share! You know, the first one where I was on Ahch-To and you were on your ship, and we both managed to somehow see into each other's heads?" She pressed on before giving him the chance to nod his head. "I don't know what to make of this! I had almost managed to convince myself that what we had was unique until Snoke confessed that he was the one who manipulated them."

"All Snoke did was exploit us. It does not mean that without him, we no longer share a connection."

"And I know that, Kylo," she said, putting her hands to the side of her hips. "I know that from the Force vision I had in the throne room. Maker, I know that from just _touching_ you. And that's why I can't take your hand. You need to understand that."

"It is not a bad thing."

"It doesn't matter. I need _answers_ , Kylo. I don't care if you have them or not, but I need to find someone who does, and more importantly, I need to find what this means."

They walked in silence out the door.

"You mentioned Ahch-To."

"Yes, and I see no harm telling you where I was, training with Luke, seeing how—"

He waved his hand intrudingly in front of her face and she fell silent.

"Enough."

Rey bit her lip again and focused her attention to her surroundings.

There was no one else along the lengthy hall except for the two of them. Rey wondered if it was because most of the First Order's army had gone down on Snoke's ship, or because they were in an isolated area of the Finalizer. Or maybe, it was even because Kylo requested them to be left alone.

"How long was I out for?" she asked, when she could no longer stand the static silence.

"Just under twelve hours," he responded.

"The last thing I remember…" she ignored her headache and racked her memories. Ignoring the dark gloom manifesting from within at how she couldn't sense Luke's Force aura anymore, she said, "Was passing out from our battle."

"You will be pleased to know that I have left the Resistance alone, no doubt giving them time to tuck tail and flee."

Rey ignored his verbal attack. "And since then?"

"I have ordered the First Order to fall back and stand down. You were taken to the medical bay and placed in a bacta tank while my medical droids operated on you. Your injury was not critical, but still in need of medical attention."

"The First Order isn't pursuing the Resistance anymore?" she asked, making sure what she heard was indeed accurate.

"Correct," he said. "For now."

Rey clenched her fists. "You're not going to give up, are you?"

"No. Do not believe you are their salvation. All you did was buy time."

Rey didn't know how to respond to that, and just stared straight ahead. Even though the passageway had more light than the interrogation room, the walls were still coated with a sickly gray and black combination of colors. That, and coupled with the unpleasant conversation she was having, made Rey feel ill and a little despondent.

That all changed when they rounded the corner. Even with the way their stilled conversation left a bout of unspoken tension, Rey couldn't help but let a little squeal of excitement before rushing over to the window.

"I take it that you appreciate the view."

Rey placed both of her hands on the windowpane, her palms pressing against the cold glass. "Very much so."

On her left, almost out of reach of her vision, was another Resurgent-class Star Destroyer, but her attention quickly faded from the constructed spectacle. Instead, her focus centered on the rest of her focal field.

"It's beautiful," she murmured. She felt Kylo Ren approach her. There was plenty of space for him to stand and gaze out into the abyss, but he did so right by her side.

"That it is," he agreed.

Rey turned around and looked at him before returning her focus back into the stars.

"No, you don't understand," she said. She quickly explained before he lost his temper. "All my life I had been living in a junkyard on a desert planet. Every bidding night I would look to the stars and imagine a life out there, not one where I was trapped scavenging pieces of junk and selling them. The portions weren't enough," she sighed. "I always felt that if I made it out to the open sky, then I was free. There's something liberating, something ethereal about the cosmos, and being trapped on a grainy surface made me want that dream all the more. And now, I'm here. Standing on the other side."

"Now you're off that wretched planet."

"Yeah," she whispered, a sad smile stretching across her features. "I guess there's no reason for me to ever go back, is there?" she asked, blinking back tears. "After all, my parents were nothing but junk traders."

"I would not say never," Kylo responded. "There's a being on that planet I'm sure you wouldn't hesitate to pay a visit. I'm talking about Unkar Plutt," he explained. Instantly, Rey's confused expression hardened into a cold one.

"No," she said flatly. "No."

"You do not even—"

Rey pried herself off the glass and stood sentinel in front of Kylo Ren and faced him.

"Oh, I know what you have in mind," she interjected. "The same thing that you've always wanted."

"And what's that?" he sneered, angry at how she interrupted him.

"The answer is no. I won't acquiesce to your desires to have me kill Unkar Plutt. I already said it before, you are not going to be my teacher. I have no desire to learn the dark side."

"Your obvious denial is frustrating. Imagine how much stronger you could be if you accepted my offer. I can sense conflict in you. You have power, but have no means to harness it. You fight with passion. With emotion."

Rey wanted to argue, but he had a point.

Kylo took advantage of this. "Your silence confirms it."

"Just because I may agree with you doesn't mean you're right," she stubbornly refused.

"I can sense it in you too."

She couldn't help her curiosity. "Sense what?"

"You and I are not so different. Even before you went to Skywalker for your training, I knew," he said. "I knew he would refuse at first."

Rey stiffened. "How did you know that?"

"Skywalker initially refused to teach me as well. He did not say anything, but I could see it in his eyes. He could sense it. The dark."

"You're wrong," Rey denied. "I am nothing like you."

"You have the same darkness in you, just as I had it in me. That is how I knew when you first went to him, on Ahch-To, he rejected your pleas. And when he did start teaching you, he was sure to teach in moderation. To cover only the fundamental basics."

"No thanks to you and the First Order."

"It is not I who is regulating your potential. It is yourself," he continued, ignoring her. "You are afraid."

"I am _not_ afraid!"

"I was in your head on Snoke's transport vehicle toying with my lightsaber. I witnessed your eyes. The fire in them was not from my blade, but from within you." At her quietude, he continued. "Passion. Devotion. Aspiration. Red suits you."

"I cannot believe we are talking about colors!" Rey shouted, getting provoked. "Just because I like the color red does not mean that I have a desire to follow in your footsteps."

Kylo scowled. "And what are my footsteps?"

Rey growled. "Okay, fine! Maybe I do have darkness in me, and maybe I do get the urge to strangle you sometimes, but it is how we choose to act on our emotions that determines whether we are light or dark. You have made your choices, and I have made mine."

She suddenly felt her feet lift off the ground. A cry escaped from her lips when her back rammed against the wall. Her hands lifted from her sides and shot to her throat.

"Desert rat," Kylo Ren hissed. "You think you have the right to make your own choices? Your choices are mine to make. You belong to _me_ , or have you forgotten?" His Force grip on her windpipe tightened.

Rey made a feeble strangling noise.

"You right to exist ceased the moment you surrendered. I have been far too lenient in the past hour. Starting now, I will move on from my mistakes and treat you how I see fit. Do. You. Understand?"

Rey wanted to reject him, but she was beginning to lose focus. Her vision was becoming blurry and the room was beginning to darken. She mustered up whatever energy she had left in her and motioned a tiny head jerk.

The grip around her jaw loosened and then disappeared. Rey collapsed down to the ground and began wheezing.

"Stand up," he commanded.

She shot him a thunderous look before crawling to her feet.

"We are outside your quarters," he explained, turning to a black door imprinted into the side. The only thing that suggested this area was not part of the wall was by the control panel installed waist-height. Kylo Ren placed his hand on the panel, and after a quick scan, he gestured to Rey.

"Your hand."

She narrowed her eyes but obeyed. The lasers underneath the panel scanned her handprint and beeped, opening the door.

"This room is where you shall be staying," he gestured to the dark, invisible space inside. Even with the low light illuminating part of the entrance of her room from the outside hallway, she wouldn't be able to see much without turning on the lights inside first. "In three days, I will come and collect you for training. Be ready at the brink of dawn."

He looked to Rey for her response.

"Busy?"

"Quite," was his only reply.

"Entertain me," she spat.

"With the Resistance gone, the First Order's next objective is to restore peace within the galaxy. There is much to be done. New chain of commands must be established, and I need to discuss over important matters with my Knights." He lifted his hand and gestured to the room.

Rey took one step in then paused.

"You know, when I asked how long I was going to be here, I meant the interrogation room. Not the ship," she said. "Not with—" she couldn't finish her sentence.

"As I mentioned, you are not a prisoner but my guest."

"Right," she said sarcastically.

He ignored her and continued. "You are to remain untouched the hands on this ship."

And will the First Order even listen to you?" she asked.

He lifted one of his eyebrows. "I have instructed everyone to leave you be. I wish you no peril, but many people on this ship and the others do. I recommend you stay in your room until we begin your training."

Rey paused. "Maker, I forgot…you're Supreme Leader now."

"Does it terrify you?"

She thought to herself. "Terrify, no. But it does fill me with a sense of angst."

"You do not view me as a threat."

"Maybe," Rey said, her hand going up to her throat and massaging it. "But I see you as a better person than Snoke."

"You seem to be sorely mistaken, scavenger. You are here because your life is forfeit. The Resistance has lost all of their army and their Force-sensitive users. There are no sides anymore, and even if there were, you and I would not be on the same one."

"So long as one person stands up and fights, The Resistance will always be there," she countered.

"All they are doing is delaying the inevitable. Is it too much to ask for them to concede defeat? There would be no more loss of life."

"Don't even begin to talk to me about saving lives!"

"You fail to understand that some measures are necessary in war, for they will lead to the greater good. When the First Order has conquered everything in its path, there will be no more war. There will be no more strife. The First Order will be the sole provider of the galaxy, and its people will live in prosperity."

"You really are deluded, aren't you?" Rey scoffed.

Kylo slammed his fist against the wall and she flinched.

"It is you who is deluded, scavenger. Blinded by the very lies the Resistance has fed you."

"You know what? I'm done with this conversation," Rey glowered. "You will never see the rationale behind my words."

"And you will never to mine."

Rey moved the other foot inside the room and turned around to face him again.

"Well, I suppose I should thank you."

This was another rare moment, for she saw Kylo Ren's eyebrows scrunch and his face turn into one of mild surprise at her sudden change in demeanor.

"For what?"

Rey lashed out with her left foot and kicked Kylo Ren right where it would hurt the most. "I wouldn't have been able to do this if I were still incapacitated. But thanks to your hospitality, I can."

Even the thick clothes that Kylo Ren wore didn't help to ease any of the pain. The new Supreme Leader fell to one knee and gasped, using both hands to clutch his pelvic region.

Rey edged a toe out and prodded his boot. "My _apprentice_ ," she mocked.

Kylo Ren's hair bobbed up and down when he lifted his head and snarled in unbridled vexation, but he didn't move. It seemed like her attack had left him in temporary paralysis.

A multitude of emotions swirled around her. Part of her relished the dominance she held over him, whereas another part felt concerned at his pain. Another part of her felt elated that she finally had a means to vent, but guilty at the same time for forsaking a little more of her soul. But in the end, it didn't matter. Rey, albeit towering over her enemy, shut herself down, deleting all emotion except one: anger.

"See you around, _Kylo_ ," she sneered.


	4. Chapter 4

Exams are approaching so this chapter's quality isn't as good as I'd like it to be. However, this is leading up to a several-chapter development that will enhance the characters in the story. One of the reviewers mentioned that there are several typos. It is in my best interest for me to read over the chapter and edit it, but sometimes these things escape me, so I'm sorry for that.

I was asked by one of the readers RavenAndTheBeast whether the whole story will be in Rey's POV. No, it won't, but the majority of it by far will be through her. However, this chapter is Kylo's.

If you enjoy what you're reading so far, please review and follow! The more there are, the more motivation I have, lol.

 **Kylo**

Kylo Ren fiddled with the controls for his command shuttle.

That scavenger. How she infuriated him to no end, yet at the same time, filled him with an emotion he couldn't explain. He didn't know how the droplets of rain fell on him while he was on the Finalizer when he shared the vision with her on Ahch-To. He didn't know the meaning behind their connection when they touched fingers, other than the only simple explanation that his previous Master offered.

His privates gave a throb and he had to bite down to keep down his moan. Curse the scavenger. It was a cheap move, and she knew it.

The hangar opened and Kylo Ren docked his ship inside. The hangar door hissed open and he tried his best to harness the aches as he walked down it, ignoring the fleet of Stormtroopers stationed at his arrival.

All First Order Star Destroyers were more or less of the same build with the same blueprints, so he took no issue in finding the door he belonged in.

With a flourish of his hand, the door unlocked and opened. Inside was a small conference room table able to seat ten, and on either side of the wall were two enormous tanks that held all sorts of exotic fish and plants. He rolled his eyes inside his helmet and cleared his throat.

"Are you Knights of Ren, or children?"

Two of the Knights that had their faces glued to the glass of the tank, blatantly captivated by the swimming creatures, startled.

All five of the Knights in the room quickly came to their senses and stood alert, acknowledging him in the process.

Kylo Ren gave a jerk of his head and the two Knights that were standing yanked their helmets back on their heads and paced over to their chairs and sat down.

"Knights of Ren. You know why I called you over."

From the corner of his eyes, he noticed one of the Knights gently caressing his neck, and Kylo smiled.

He had snapped at Deimos when he asked why the Supreme Leader had to fly over to The Zenith instead of all the Knights congregating onboard the Finalizer. Kylo Ren had punished his Knight's insolence, but it was to hide the truth.

There was no way he'd be able to focus if he was on the same ship as her.

"I would like to discuss the future of the First Order. Before we begin, would anyone like to express thoughts on their mind?"

He didn't need to see the Knight's face to know he was scowling.

"Why have we stopped going after The Resistance?"

Kylo Ren's right hand was under the table, and he was pleased it was so no one could see him tighten it. It seems like the Knight still hadn't learned his lesson.

"For now, we will be focusing on garnering our resources and other tasks that Snoke turned a blind eye too. Not everything has to be completed through war. The First Order took heavy losses in the last battle with them, and the next time we will strike, we will take none."

"Snoke was right. The Zenith is dissatisfied with seeking alliances and other menial tasks. War is the answer."

Kylo was about to strangle the man was it not for another Knight speaking up.

"Be quiet, Deimos. You've already done enough damage as it is. Weren't you in charge of one of the Star Destroyers that we lost in the battle two days ago?"

Deimos remained silent.

"Jarrok Ren," Kylo Ren acknowledged with a nod of his head.

"Supreme Leader."

"Now, if interruptions are done and over with," Kylo said, placing both hands on the table. "I am reassessing your tasks and relocating a few Knights. Given the loss of General Morok, Jarrok, you will be assuming control over The Vengeance."

Jarrok gave a nod of his head.

"Deimos, you will stay will you are. Lype, you are now assigned to The Punisher. General Erst has been rumored to be plotting against the First Order and I need you to keep an eye out on him. Use any force necessary if you see it."

"Supreme Leader, if I may," another Knight spoke.

"What is it, Sula?"

"Is there any way I can be with Jarrok? The Vengeance is close to the other side of the Outer Rim, far away from The Zenith…" she trailed off.

"No, Sula," he refused. He saw her shoulders sag. "I have a different assignment for you."

"Supreme Leader?"

"You will accompany me back to the Finalizer after this meeting. I have a special task for you. And as for Leo, you will continue to operate on Coruscant for the next week until I have another task for you. Keep low."

He looked around the room.

"Supreme Leader, if I may," Leo chirped.

"Yes?"

"Rumors have it that on the Battle of Crait, after you defeated Luke Skywalker, the Padawan came after you. Is she with you now?"

Kylo could feel his anger levels boiling. He did not want to talk about Rey in front of his Knights, and Leo mentioning his old Master's name did nothing to help either.

By the looks of things, Leo could sense this.

"I meant no disrespect, Supreme Leader. We were merely curious as to her status and your plans for her."

Now that Leo was openly discussing Rey, Kylo noticed Deimos sitting up. He was less slouched and more attentive, and Kylo did not take kindly to this.

"The plans I have for the scavenger is not to be discussed at this time. You shall know when I deem it appropriate."

Leo bows his head. "Of course, Supreme Leader."

"That is all. There is a minor occurrence on Numina, and if the situation grows dire, I will not hesitate to contact everyone."

"Numina?" Jarrok asked.

This was the first time Kylo had heard him sound so surprised, and it took him a few seconds to understand why. Jarrok was from the planet.

"Is there a problem, Jarrok Ren?"

"Not at all, Supreme Leader."

"Good. Then you are all dismissed."

All the Knights got to their feet and began to leave. Sula was almost out the door with Jarrok when Kylo stopped her.

"Sula Ren, stay behind."

"Supreme Leader!"

He saw Jarrok give her a glance, but she dismissed him with a nod.

"Why do you suspect that I withheld you from the rest of the Knights?"

"Supreme Leader, with all due respect, the fish—"

Kylo waved his hand.

"There was a reason why I picked The Zenith to hold this meeting."

"Supreme Leader, if I may…do I have permission to speak freely?"

"Permission granted."

"With all due respect, is it because of the girl?"

"You are not wrong, but that is only half the story. You are to return with me to The Finalizer. I want to propose a task for you. The girl…Rey." Saying her name still felt foreign to him, and departing it to one of his Knights set him even more at unease. Names held a certain power over someone and left them vulnerable. It was one of the few reasons why he no longer went by his old name.

"Rey," Sula repeated.

"You are to train with her when I cannot. You are not to harm her. I will order for your accommodations to be near the main training room."

"And if she doesn't show up, should I actively seek for her?

"No, she will. I have a hunch. She is a fighter, and an energetic one at that. She'll need a source of release, a means to vent."

"You know her well."

To this, Kylo Ren didn't know how to respond. Even though all of his Knights were Force-sensitive, he doubted any of them would understand what a Force bond was. But as much as he hated to admit it, Sula was different, and whether it was her feminism that played a role in it or not, he didn't know. Whereas the rest of his Knights were all male and had no qualms in obeying orders, with the exception of Deimos, Sula was more compassionate. More empathetic.

"I do," he settled. Feeling an urge of protectiveness toward Rey, he continued.

"I want you to befriend her. She is insistent on harboring hatred for the First Order. She believes that we all stem for evil and that the Resistance is the right path."

"So, what you're saying is that you want me to make friends with her in order to change her mind and sway her loyalty toward the First Order. You want her to break ties with the Resistance. You want to turn her."

"Exactly."

"I'll do as you ask, but isn't that a little harsh and unfair?"

"I see no problem with it."

Sula sighed underneath her mask.

"May I remove this?"

"You may."

Sula pressed a button on her helmet and it unlocked. She took it off her head.

"Rey won't be happy with this. The foundation of friendships are forged on honesty and candidness, not ulterior motives."

"She won't find out. I'll make sure of it."

"And you yourself are okay with this?"

"Do not test me, Sula. I am growing impatient. There is no other way."

Sula stared at him with her silver eyes. He knew he was being stubborn, but he truly believed in what he said. And as Supreme Leader, he would not let anyone deviate him from his plans.

"Yes, Supreme Leader."

Kylo turned and walked out, with Sula trailing behind.

"There was something else you wanted to discuss with me?"

"I have had the general aboard this ship move us closer to our destination. We are on the border of the Outer Rim."

"The Wild Space? I've never been anywhere as far out as here," Sula exuded.

Kylo knew she would like it. She, after all, held an immersive fascination with space. Another reason why he was sure Sula and Rey would befriend.

"We are approaching the extragalactic zone. You will come with me to Kamino."

"Kamino?" she asked, pausing her task of slipping her helmet on.

"The spy in our systems—I have thoroughly searched the Finalizer, and reports from you and the rest of the Knights turn up negative. This spy and General Erst appear to be disconnected. I have no choice but to assume the traitor lies within our troops."

Sula frowned. "The thought of recondition isn't enough to deter anyone anymore these days. Apparently it wasn't enough for FN-2187."

"Correct."

"I thought the training academies were on Lothal."

"No. Locating all of our sites on one planet would be a foolish move. There is a training facility on Kamino and a few other ideal planets. Once Leo completes his assignment in Coruscant, he'll investigate Lothal himself."

The two of them slowed down their pace. They had arrived.

"Keep the ship floating in orbit," Kylo commanded, walking forward. He didn't need to turn around to hear the general's affirmation.

Sula followed him, tucking herself into the co-pilot's seat and strapping herself in. There was a reason why Kylo chose her, out of any of his Knights, to accompany him. He trusted her. The other Knights, especially Deimos, was displeased at his ascension to Supreme Leader. He knew a couple of them had intentions on pursuing the path themselves at the slightest opportunity, and when Kylo seized the title unexpectedly, they were less than happy even though everyone in the group knew he was the strongest. And not only that, the other Knights were permanently bloodthirsty and groundless, and he needed someone who had some modicum of control over their emotions during their subtle reconnaissance. Havoc was the last thing he needed. Until he found the spy, that is.

The two of them departed from the hangar and into the open space. Kamino was close enough so that Kylo could jump into hyperspace, and he did so, pushing his thruster to the max.

"Kamino…I've always heard about the planet but seeing it with my own eyes is a lot more terrifying," he heard Sula say. Kylo took a glance himself. Even though they were a few minutes away, he could still discern the strikes of thunder and the tumultuous roar of the waves on the giant hull of the planet.

Kylo was just about to answer her when he felt the wake of a being. The waking of Rey.

Her presence had undeliberately snuck into his train of thought. She was awake, but didn't realize she was projecting. A bit later than usual, but maybe it was because she was tired. No doubt the recent current of events were not easy on her body.

Sula was smart enough to see the small adjustment of him body in his seat, and she took over of the controls while he was distracted.

There she was, standing as proud as ever. Her side was facing him, and he knew she hadn't sensed him, so he used this time to bathe in her presence. Dark brown hair tied up in three buns, with a few unkempt strands tracing down her jawline and to her slender neck. The plodding, yet methodical grace of her moves as she walked from the refresher and sat down on the bed—the bed that Kylo Ren himself had made sure layered with the finest sheets the ship had on supply. How soft and smooth her skin looked. How fragile she was.

Even though he was still angry at her for her unwarranted attack the previous night, the desire to speak to her superseded his need to punish her.

 _Rey_.

He saw her turn around and witnessed as her eyes grew when she saw him sitting in the cockpit of his command shuttle. Standing up, she walked closer to him. It didn't escape his notice that she did it with tentative steps.

 _Kylo?! What are you doing here?!_

 _You are quite the sight._

And she was. She was beautiful, but he didn't want to voice that. She was dressed in a cadet blue nightgown that was shorter than the other ones he had requested to be placed in her room. Her shoulders gleamed tan, sun-kissed by the scorching heat on Jakku. And to make matters worse, this nightgown cut off right at the knee, and it was painstakingly difficult for Kylo to not let his eyes wander and glue themselves to her lissome legs.

Rey crossed her arms.

 _You're invading my personal space._

 _I sensed your presence. I wanted to visit._

Rey frowned, but she didn't tell him off. Eager, he continued.

 _We may as well learn more first-handedly about this connection we have._

 _So now you are in a talking mood. Quite the difference from yesterday, don't you think?_

Kylo growled. _You will watch your tone. If anything, I should be the one reprimanding you._

 _I'm not being rude,_ Rey responded. _I favor this side of you far more than your angry one._

 _Be as it may, my states of emotion are not in your jurisdiction to control._

She rolled his eyes at him. _Where are you?_

 _Orbiting Kamino with one of my Knights._

 _Knights?_ He could see Rey biting her lips and he sucked in a tiny bit of air, relieved that Sula couldn't see what he was seeing.

 _That is correct._

 _I had a vision once…_ her voice trailed off.

 _And what did this vision entitle?_

 _I was somewhere. Somewhere damp. It was raining. The ground was coated in mud and it was nighttime. This was all I had registered before I saw one of your Knights towering over me._

 _My Knights?_ he asked.

 _I know it was your Knight, because the next thing I knew, you killed him. From behind._

 _Impossible. I would never put you in danger._

 _You've held your lightsaber excruciatingly close to me when I dismissed your thoughts. At this point, I don't even know what is possible and what isn't._

Kylo didn't like the way she said that.

 _I am making everything possible for you._

Rey laughed. _I'm trapped in this room, on this ship for another two days before I'm allowed to leave! What kind of rule is that?_

 _I am keeping you safe._

Rey shook her head and stared at him in the eyes. He could feel her anger levels begin to boil. _No, you are dictating what I can do and what I can't. You are controlling me. I can't even leave my quarters and go to the cafeteria and get food! I assume there is a cafeteria, isn't there?_

 _Yes, but you are not to go there. The sustenance they provide is muck._

 _I'm from Jakku. I'm used to eating muck._

Kylo quickly stifled his own anger at her persistence when she mentioned Jakku. He had been on the planet a few times. The only thing worse than the people were those portions…they were lower than trash. Nothing better than tasteless glop that slimed down your throat.

 _No._

 _I won't let you tell me what I can or cannot do._ He could see her scowl, but it didn't deter him. In fact, even a scowl managed to make her face look as beautiful as ever.

 _Do you want to eat or not?_

Rey's stomach suddenly gave a tremendous roar and Kylo smirked.

 _I suppose that answers that question. Stubborn girl._

He could see Rey turning pink. Oh, how tantalizing she was. The rush of color to her cheeks was like life's very essence to his eyes.

 _Fine. How am I supposed to eat then?_

 _The panel next to the headrest of your bed—go to it._

Rey moved closer to her bed and did as he told.

 _Just pull out the panel and order what you'd like. It's already afternoon for you, so something from the 'Lunch' category will do. All the food will be delivered to you by a droid when ready._

 _Maker, there's an endless array…this is…_

 _Exquisite?_

There was a silence from Rey, so thick and long that even he started to believe she didn't hear him.

 _What do you recommend I get?_ she finally asked.

He frowned. The tone in her voice was slightly different. Off. Something was bothering her.

 _I would get some pappardelle with sea urchin and kalettes. The delivery droid will be at your door in fifteen minutes. The dish does not take long to prepare._

She tapped on the panel.

 _As long as it's not bright green,_ he saw her chuckle. _On Ahch-To, Master L—_

She stopped talking. Kylo watched her as her face drooped and fell into despair.

No. No. This will not happen. He will not let the talk of Luke Skywalker dampen their conversation. His presence could still ruin the moment, even though he was dead. Dead.

Luke Skywalker.

An unsettling feeling blossomed in Kylo's chest. He looked down at his gloved hand. He killed him. He was the one who took the legendary Jedi's life. His hands would forever be stained with his blood. His soul was forsaken.

He began to shake and his vision grew dark, his memories returning to the battlefield. Kylo was magnetized toward staring into the eyes of the old man as Luke relished in the last few seconds of his life. Kylo remembered just how piercing his former master's eyes were—they held no blame, no pain. It was almost as if this was the way, a path forged by the Force itself. Luke had to die. And yet, with his death, Kylo felt no better a man than he did before. As a matter of fact, he felt worse. Even more lost. Weaker. Abandoned.

 _Kylo?_

His name leaving the lips of Rey pulled him back to reality. He looked up at her, noticing how her eyes were filled with wary, and what's more, concern.

 _Are you okay?_

 _I'm fine!_ Realizing he snapped at her, he repeated in a much softer tone, _I'm fine_.

He knew she could see through his lie.

 _Tell me about Kamino, please._

The 'please' helped. Kylo breathed a sigh of relief.

 _Kamino is not a pleasant place to live. Filled with treacherous waters and year-round rainstorms, few individuals ever step foot on the planet._ Kylo projected an image of the planet's surface and he felt Rey recoil from him. Even though she loved rain, he knew that this was too much even for her.

 _Why are you going to a place like that?_

Kylo hesitated, unsure of whether he could tell her. It wasn't a matter of trust—even though they were on opposite sides, he knew that he could entrust himself wholeheartedly to her. And as much as it was disconcerting, it was also consoling.

 _There is a small issue I need to resolve._

 _Issue?_ He could see Rey immediately tense. _Maker, don't tell me—Kylo, you're not going to kill anyone, are you?_

 _No, Rey. Not unless I have to._

 _Unless you have to?!_ she shrilled. _I can't believe you're throwing around life like a ball. Unless you_ have _to? Who decided you were to play god?_

 _I do not want to do this right now._

 _Then tell me. Promise me you won't kill anyone._

Kylo sighed, irritated. Chances are, findings would come up short. He didn't expect to find anyone of guilt on Kamino, which meant no one would have to suffer, but he didn't tell her this.

 _Fine. I promise_.

 _Good._ Rey's expression morphed to concern yet again.

 _Will you be safe?_

He felt his wrongdoings recede into a corner in his heart, deeply reserved for the darkest of secrets. In its cage, they were impotent, but unextinguishable.

 _I am the Supreme Leader._

 _Supreme Leader, yes,_ she rolled her eyes. _But even you are not invincible._

 _I have one of my Knights accompanying me. She is more than capa—_

 _SHE?_

 _Yes, she._

Kylo saw Rey as she bared her teeth.

 _Who is this woman?_

It took him a few seconds to understand where this behavior was coming from.

 _Rey, are you jealous?_

 _Don't Rey me!_ she snapped.

Kylo couldn't help it. He began chuckling. Out of everything he has seen, he never would've expected Rey to react like this.

His laughter died away when he saw her reacting to his response. Some of the jealousy melted away and was replaced with insecurity. He could see it by the way her head was tilted down toward her feet.

 _I have never been with a woman before_ , Kylo intervened. He didn't like how downcast and hurt she looked. _Nor is Sula of anyone important. All she is to me is a loyal Knight of Ren._

 _She's your comrade. Of course she's important to you._ For someone who at first seemed to harbor distaste, Rey was now defending her.

 _I am surprised at how quickly your tone changed._

 _I am not letting this matter drop._

Kylo heard the rap on her door a second before she turned her head toward it.

 _We can talk about it while you eat, if you would like._

 _No! You are not going to watch me eat!_ she scowled. _And that is final._

Rey marched over to the door and received her food from the delivery droid with a small 'thanks'. The droid gave her some kind of response. It was binary, a language Kylo had never bothered to learn. Droids were below him.

 _Open the lid_ , he said after she sat down at the table.

 _Maker, this smell…_

He caught a glimpse of Rey's dumbfounded face staring at the food. Her nostrils involuntarily flared. Kylo was well familiar with the dish himself, and he swore he could smell the food from here. All of a sudden, a quick bite to eat before leaving for Kamino seemed like the right idea. An idea he sadly did not partake in.

 _You're not really going to watch me eat, are you?_

 _If I really wanted to, you could do nothing to stop me. But I will respect your wishes. However, I do believe what you mean is while you eat alone. I reckon I will join you soon enough for meals._

 _Maker, you really are a pain in the arse, aren't you? Inserting_ _yourself in other people's business without permission._

Even though her voice held disdain, he could see a small smile teasing him from the corner of her lips.

 _Enjoy your meal._ He began to withdraw from her mind.

 _Wait!_ At her outburst, he paused.

 _What is it?_

Rey's tiny fist balled around the handle of her knife. _Don't leave completely. I still don't want you to watch me eat, but stay, won't you? Just so that I know you're here._

Her request surprised him. _Of course._

Rey nodded, the only sign she gave before he cut their connection.

He was back in his command shuttle, but he could still feel Rey within him. It was like another personality was infused with his, but it was just slightly there and not anymore so that he didn't have to incessantly focus on it unless he chose to.

It lured him into solace.

Kylo turned his attention to piloting the ship, but he couldn't see anything. Next to him, Sula was fighting with the control stick. The rain crashing into the hull of his ship threatened to dismantle their balance. Everything was dark and black.

After breaking through the clouds, they slowed their descent. A lone red light flashing in the distance was the only thing that welcomed them.

"How are training centers going to be of any use to us when the Stormtroopers in training haven't even begun serving the First Order yet?" Sula asked, jerking him out of his thoughts.

"Not the training centers. The operational manager oversees all the training. For the Stormtroopers, I expect their principles will have been engrained in them already prior to their recruitment. FN-2187—I could sense his conflict even before my visit to Jakku. The operational manager is required to report any signs of suspicious behavior before deploying new Stormtroopers, but often times a position of power leads to indolence."

"I see."

The two of them docked on the open platform. Kylo was not looking forward to this. Not just because of the pouring rain that would obliterate his vision the moment he stepped off the ship, but because of the extreme hassles that could manifest. But he would bear through it. He knew Rey was watching over him.

Next to him, Sula was excited. He knew she loved the rain. Another perk. She and Rey would get along just fine.

"Keep your weapons hidden but ready," he said.

"Yes, Supreme Leader."


	5. Chapter 5

"How the hell does anything work around here?" Rey grunted.

She slapped the screen and it gave a mellow beep. There was a strange keyhole dented into the wall and she was trying to tinker with it. Even years of experimenting with technology on Jakku gave her no success as the lock refused to budge.

"Computers," she sighed. "Wouldn't put it past him to be spying on me."

Her attention was diverted to a ball of lint resting on the carpet. Rey pounced on it and quickly threw it away. She lifted her head and scoured the room again.

She didn't know how to feel. The room was entirely against everything she had expected and beyond fancier than anything she could have anticipated. Her bed was coated in rich red covers that that were so slick and shiny that they slipped out of her fingers if she tried to grab them. The first night, she had immediately fallen asleep not a minute after her body sunk into the loose sheets. The pillow was even softer and automatically conformed to the shape of her head instead of after a few punches; Rey had let loose a quick squeal of delight at how functional it was. The headboard consisted of a dark wood from Maker-knows-where, but it was strong enough to support the entire bed. The mattress rested on four legs that each had ornate designs on them once she looked closer. They were nothing compared to the hard bunkers that the Resistance called beds, ones with crinkly sheets and hard pillows. At least on Jakku, she was by herself and didn't have to tolerate the incessant snoring.

If she was staring at the door, then the open space to the left were her drawers, directly facing her bed oriented against the wall. Rey had resisted the urge to dig through them last night and had slept in the clothes she had woken up in, but today was a different story. It was already early afternoon, and even though Rey craved to leave the confines of her room and explore, she took his warning to heart. A few times she took it with a grain of salt and had opened the door and peered on either side of the hallway, but she quickly received cold feet at the prospect of what would happen if someone caught her. Kamino was on the outskirts of the Outer Rim, and she was sure he would be too far away to come and rescue her in case if she did sneak out and run into trouble.

Rescue her! She was already starting to rely on him. Maker, she was caving already. Pitiful.

The other space to the right of the door sat a tiny table, no greater for two people. Two small, cozy lounge chairs complemented the black, shiny surface of the table. Tucked in the corner were two coniferous plants that towered halfway to the ceiling. Rey had been jolted from her deep sleep in the morning from two robotic hands that whirred out from the wall and watered the plants.

Even though the bed was divine, if she sat in bed all day, she would die from boredom. So she turned to the drawers, ignoring the large mirror that complemented the storage unit, and took her sweet time digging through them. Each one that she opened held pieces of garments. The top drawers had underwear and socks, the middle drawers had clothes for her upper body, and the row below held pants. Everything was in black except for the last drawer, and when she pulled it open, she sat in stunned silence. Inside were nightgowns of every color and pattern; she pulled all of them out, running her fingers through the soft material in adoration. Never before had she seen nor felt anything so luxurious. Some had straps, and others had shoulders. Colors from creamy white to charcoal black, from baby blue to lush forest green, were present. But the one that caught her eye the most was the one she pulled out with trembling fingers: a fiery red dress that seemed to melt in her hands.

Rey smiled, and she taunted herself. But her smile slowly slid from her face. The luxury, combined with her harsh, minimalist lifestyle and Kylo Ren, pressed tears to her eyes instead. Yes, she'll admit it. There was a mixture of emotions that were inside her, all unwarranted. _Especially_ when she had heard him mention the Knight he was with. Jealousy had struck her without a moment's notice, and hurt was even quicker to replace it. Even though yesterday's conversation with him felt real and normal, she was not ready to come to terms with it.

Throwing the red nightgown back into the depths of the drawer, she uncrossed her legs and stood back up.

As she made her way through the opposite wall of the door into the small room off to the side, the refresher, her sadness gave way to anger. Did he think she was his slut now? Everything in the room screamed exotic, expensive, or both. Did he think that he could sway her to his side through his riches?

 _Never been with a woman,_ she replayed in her mind _. Right._

Rey started the shower. The cleansing should have been a privilege, but she hardly felt the water drops. They seemed to evaporate the moment they touched her burning skin. Kylo Ren said he was her guest, and her room was certainly reflective of that statement. But until she had unwavering freedom to do whatever she pleased, she would be his prisoner.

Yesterday felt like a change in their relationship. For the first time, Kylo Ren wasn't his usual rude, condescending self. Although there were a few bumps in their conversation, most of it went smoothly. In fact, it wouldn't be exaggerating if she said she had enjoyed it, even. His concern for her was obvious, that much she knew. But in the end, it didn't matter if this connection pulled her to him. It didn't change the fact of the matter. She was his slave.

Even the stupid shower knob was expensive, made of some transparent crystal that sparkled whenever water slid down it. Rey grabbed the thing and screwed it, turning the shower off.

For a solid minute before she wrapped herself in a towel, she stood there dripping wet, refusing to accept the clothes he had provided her. Severely tempted to throw on her dirty clothes, she instead went for a new change of clothes, growling at how her logic outreasoned her irrationality. Her choices were limited, and there was absolutely no way she would succumb and wear a nightgown. So instead, she yanked articles of clothing out of the drawers until she combined pieces that contributed to an outfit strikingly similar to what she had been accustomed to wearing her whole life.

A pair of capri-length pants? Check. A tunic secured underneath a billowy wrap dress? Check. Knit gloves that wrapped snugly over new arm wraps all the way to her elbows? Check. A belt that could extend and wrap several times around her waist? Check. There was even a pair of boots that fit her perfectly. In fact, she would look almost as she had a few days ago except for one distinct difference: everything was black.

Curse the man.

Rey stood up, testing out the boots. They seemed sturdy, but she made sure by pacing back and forth in the room. She was confident that they were comfortable enough when her eye caught the mirror. Her pacing slowed to a crawl and she tentatively took a step forward until she could clearly see her reflection.

Was that her? She extended her fingertips to the cold surface, watching her reflection do the same. The definition of her skin, her wet hair, and sharp hazel eyes were all familiar, but the environment they were in were not. She looked alien, dressed in all black. It complemented her skin differently from what she was used to. The usual greyish tan clothes she usually adorned sinked in like camouflage to her slightly sun-kissed skin, but this black that covered her from neck to toe exaggerated the shade of her skin and made every wrinkle, every bit of her cheeks and jawline more pronounced. She looked vivid. Fiercer. Poised and confident. Elegant.

Rey couldn't put her finger on it at first, but then it came to her. She looked lethal. She glowed with purpose. And she found eyes glowing in the mirror. She _liked_ this look.

A unique exuberance flowed through her veins. Whatever languidness she had been feeling while cooped up in this room vanished, and she found herself wanting to do something to dispose of this extra energy. She couldn't just sit, locked inside for another day and night. She was too excited.

The door was taunting her. Rey stared at it, contemplating her choices. She could spend the next half day examining the bedsheets or patterns of the carpet, or she could leave the room and explore. She could even meditate and try to reach out to Kylo. No…she wouldn't give in.

Just acknowledging her stubborn refusal made it all the more clear that she was in serious denial. Rey growled.

Exploring it was. It would be like her and wreckages on Jakku, but with one major difference: everyone on this ship were enemies.

But would they be her enemies? She was dressed like one of them, and no longer stood out like a sore thumb. If she kept her head down and walked with motive…

Rey convinced herself. She walked to the entrance and palmed the screen. The door made a whooshing sound and slid to the side. Peering her head out, there was emptiness.

"Good enough for me," she muttered, stepping out. She wished her staff was with her. It would provide her some defense in case she absolutely needed it, but her opinion changed when she realized that it would only serve to arouse more suspicion if members of the First Order spotted her armed with an unorthodox weapon.

She could choose to turn left or right, but Rey took the route that she was familiar with: the same one she memorized when Kylo Ren and she walked from the interrogation room to her quarters. Maybe she could find a training room and some training dummies to spar with. It wouldn't be betraying the Resistance if she used First Order resources to her benefit. She needed keep her agility and strength up so that when the day comes, she would be ready.

It took another few paces before it suddenly hit her. The Resistance! Rey slapped her forehead with one of her hands. She was aboard the Finalizer. Imagine how easy it would be to send a message to Leia! All she would have to do is encode the communication. Why didn't she think of this earlier? Idiot!

With her mind set on a new agenda, she took off, pacing herself even faster. A few hallways passed by before she realized she had no idea where she was going. Her stomach dropped when she thought about Kylo. Was he monitoring her? The Supreme Leader was bound to busy, but even she knew he held almost an obsessive attachment to her. He might already know that she wasn't in her room. He could even be spying on her right now through the hallway cameras. Her face wouldn't need to be shown for him to identify her; he was bound to recognize her outfit and the way her hair was tied in three buns behind her head.

 _He doesn't need cameras to spy on you_ , Rey told herself. _Or have you forgotten already?_ She clutched at her chest. Kylo was there, but unless she intentionally willed herself to focus in on him, his presence was not ascertained.

Rey shook her head and set her mind to the task ahead. It didn't matter. She pressed her attention toward his faults and found that it reassured her. She already knew that he was a madman with some deluded fantasy that she was his to control and to turn into an ally of the First Order's. Last she checked, they were enemies, and she intended it to stay that way.

Rey walked and walked for what seemed like hours, but was actually only a few minutes, before she rounded a hallway that was unfamiliar to her. Nearing the end stretch of it, she heard the sound of controlled boots clicking against the floor.

Stormtroopers.

The shadow of their uniforms started to grow larger and larger around the corner, and Rey began to panic. She backed up a few paces and began running in the opposite direction, but came to a stop. She was in all-black, a common look amongst people of high rank. And Kylo Ren didn't seem like the kind of person who would share more news than necessary of her capture to the rest of the First Order for sake of revealing their unorthodox connection. There was no way for low-ranking Stormtroopers to know who she was, right?

She took a deep breath and turned around and began walking toward the sound of the voices. It had better work, otherwise she would be in deep trouble.

The Stormtroopers rounded the corner and abruptly stopped when they saw a strange woman dressed in all black walking toward them with long strides.

"Halt," the Stormtrooper voiced, raising his gun. The woman stopped a few steps in front of them.

Who are you?" the same Stormtrooper asked, his voice full of skepticism.

Rey hesitated for a slight second, and then narrowed her eyes. She could feel the waves of nervousness radiate from the other Stormtrooper who had yet to say anything.

"You should know well not to disturb a woman who is walking with purpose…RS-2678 and 3042," she spoke, mustering her voice with as much authority as she could. Imagine how she sounded to the Stormtroopers if she herself sounded alien to her own ears.

The silent one, RS-3042, recoiled slightly under her dangerous glare, but RS-2678 refused to be menaced. He took a step forward and jabbed the blaster rifle into Rey's side.

"Identification. Now."

"I recommend you remove your weapon from me, _now_ ," she commanded in a voice so frightening that she felt RS-2678's grip loosen. "I have no time for me to dwell on you or this pointless confrontation."

"Who are you?" he asked again.

Rey willed her brain to come up with a believable answer, and she breathed an internal sigh of relief when it did.

"I am a Knight of Ren," she lied. "That should be enough information."

The pressure of the blaster rifle was removed from her side.

"I see. Where is your helmet?"

RS-3042 finally spoke up, and Rey was surprised when the voice she heard belonged to a woman, and not a man.

"Maybe we should back off…I'm sure she is who she says she is."

The male Stormtrooper waved her off.

"You should do well to listen to RS-3042. Otherwise, I will see to it personally that you are sent to reconditioning." Rey's voice still held animosity, but inside, she was getting worried.

"We have to make sure no Resistance scum is aboard this ship. You heard about the information leak, 3042. The Supreme Leader made it clear. Follow protocols and allow no leniency."

Rey tucked this piece of information in for later.

RS-2678 turned his attention back to her. "We need to see identification."

She was certain that if it was Kylo being questioned, he would have snapped the Stormtrooper's neck already at his nosiness, but she was not him. Internally, she cursed. Even though she felt the Stormtrooper's fear at the thought of reconditioning, he still stayed true to his orders.

She was trapped. She had no badge on her, nothing that even implied that she was a part of the First Order. There was nothing but her own words and how the Stormtroopers chose to interpret them. A pit of despair blossomed in her chest when she realized there was only one thing left to do.

Closing her eyes, she tapped down deep within. Her predilection toward the Force was improving, but it had yet to come at her mere will. Finding the source, she opened her eyes.

The Stormtrooper's hands flew to his neck and he began choking. A moment later, his feet lifted from the ground and he flew to the side, his back crashing against the wall with a loud smack.

Rey's held her hand in front of her and squeezed even harder, feeling the invisible cords tighten around the Stormtrooper's neck. She could feel the race of his heart as it struggled to pump blood into his brain and the wheezing of his chest as he struggled to ingest air for his lungs.

RS-2678 was twitching now. His hands were futilely trying to pry his helmet off his head in a poor attempt to try to loosen the imperceptible grip fastened around his neck.

"Please, Miss Ren!" the other Stormtrooper pleaded, dropping to both knees in front of Rey. "He was just following orders! Don't do this to him!"

The female Stormtrooper kneeling at her feet filled Rey with a sense of control. For a serious moment, Rey was tempted to raise her other hand and choke her as well. Some of the darkness that was stored away had begun to seep out of the crevices in her lockbox, and part of her wanted to see the female Stormtrooper scream and choke until her voice was permanently silenced.

But as quickly as it came, it disappeared.

Rey dropped her hand, and the Stormtrooper came crashing down on his back, where he made contact with the ground. He slumped to the side lifelessly. RS-3042 scurried past Rey and over to her comrade, and she began checking for signs of life.

The female Stormtrooper turned her head to Rey and stared silently behind her helmet. Rey could feel her eyes piercing through her soul, seeing her for what she truly was. A monster.

Rey stumbled backwards. "I—I'm sorry," she choked, in disbelief. RS-3042 peered at her for a few more seconds, then refocused her attention back on her injured friend.

All Rey could hear were her own footsteps as she staggered backward behind their line of sight, and then she turned around and began running away. She ran down several flights of hallways before she stopped, unable to move anymore. The nausea escalated to a point where she couldn't hold it down anymore, and Rey gagged. But she hadn't eaten anything this morning, so all she could do was dry heave.

She was a monster. She was a monster.

She was no better than Kylo Ren. Convincing herself that she had to do what she did for the sake of her preservation slowed down her heartrate for a moment, but then shame washed over her at how selfish she was, at how she would injure others to protect herself.

Maybe her years on Jakku is what led to her mentality. Old habits die hard.

The wall seemed like a good surface to vent some anger, and she balled her hand into a fist and punched it. A spasm ran through her arm, but the pain felt gratifying. Self-infliction was her release.

"Stop justifying your actions," she muttered to herself. "You have a mission. Find Leia."

Rey took a deep breath, steadying herself. Then she took off again.

It wasn't long before she came to a new corridor. Rey wanted to see if scanning her hand opened the door at the end of the hallway, but she jumped in pleasant surprise when sensors beneath her feat automatically detected her presence and automatically opened the door.

Inside was the communication system.

She pumped her fist in celebration before moving to the lit panels. An attempt at immediate Force-pulling a nearby chair lead to a flimsy shake of the furniture. She gave a small huff and manually slid it over to the system, where she then sat down and digested the complex machinery and its operational status.

Years of a lonely life on Jakku didn't lead to nothing. Often times, to escape death by boredom, she would salvage bits and pieces from collapsed ruins that were too invaluable to trade for a small amount of portions. A flame of anger flickered inside her at how unfair Unkar Plutt was, trading piles of useful scavenges for only a measly amount of portions.

While she was waiting for encryption to complete, Rey couldn't help but continuously reflect on the odious junkboss, reviewing how grubby his hands felt on her arm the one night she tried sneaking in and stealing. How the welts on the back of her thighs stung so much she was limping for the next week.

Maker, she was so hungry back then. The gnawing sensation inside her stomach that was indefinite, so severe that she regularly cried herself to sleep at night after tallying another mark on the hull of her AT-AT...a childhood that had to be completely focused on grueling hours of work, leaving no time for socializing, rendered her awkward around other signs of intelligent life.

Rey's nails dug into her palm. She wanted to blame her parents, but there were no corporeal faces to designate her hatred towards. There was only one person who oppressed her life and kept her hungry at all times, for years on years. Hate didn't even come close to describing her feelings for him.

Unkar Plutt.

The system beeped, diverting Rey's attention from her muse. A few seconds ensued in which she spent flicking a few switches and tapping in the channel coordinates for the broadcast. After she was satisfied everything was correct and the encryption was secure, she pressed a red button on her right. A timer began on the screen, and Rey blankly stared at it for a few seconds as she pulled her thoughts together.

"Broadcasting to the Resistance, this is an urgent message for General Organa. This is Rey. I'm currently abroad the Finalizer. Please let Finn, Poe, and BB-8 know that I'm okay." She paused, then resumed. "Kylo Ren is Supreme Leader; he has been since the battle on Crait. According to him, the Resistance is currently off the First Order's radar."

She twiddled her thumb nervously.

"I'm in one of their communication rooms, and I have to be careful as to not get caught. Don't worry. I'm safe. I wish I knew the First Order's endgame, and I swear I'll do my hardest to find out. But until then, please don't send a response. I don't know when I can find time for my next message, but if you get this…may the Force be with you."

Although Rey was tempted to end the transmission, she knew she had to confess one more thing, or the guilt would eat her alive.

With a shaky breath, she turned her mouth back toward the microphone.

"I—I'm so sorry, Leia," she choked, thinking back to her last private moments with the General. "I'm sorry for how things are. I'm sorry for how I hurt you. And—"

The control panel around her blurred after tears sprang to her eyes.

"And I'm sorry for Luke's death."

There, she said it.

Before she lost control, Rey ended the transmission. The inevitable guilt climaxed and edged over the brim and she brought her hands to her face and began sobbing uncontrollably. Every demon that she had locked away resurfaced and they angrily attacked, breaking her mind into little shards. She saw Leia's face when she pushed her down, and the overwhelming sadness mixed with betrayal etched on her worn features. She saw Luke shaking, losing his calm expression, when she was defeated. But what broke her the most was the closure Luke felt right before he was executed. Even in war, he was at peace.

All of this was because of her. How many more would die for her before the war was over? Just how many more would sacrifice their lives for her safety?

Her burdens weighed on her shoulders like heavy boulders. She thought she was strong, but the reality was that she was not. Rey didn't feel like a Jedi. She felt like a small child. Lost. Frightened. _Terrified_.

And at that moment, she hated who she was. She hated everything about life, as if it was mocking her. Why was it that she, out of the trillions of beings in the galaxy, was the one whose destiny would permanently sway the course of the galaxy? Ripped away from her life on Jakku and thrust into a war she didn't want, fighting for survival in a much different way. All of this burden that she had to carry, a scavenger from junk trading parents. A nobody.

Responsibility. She was not ready. Those were the words Luke said to her on Ahch-To. Never before had they held as much meaning as they did now. She fully understood what Luke meant.

She didn't know how long she sat there, but by the time she lifted her head from the panel, her tears had already caked on her cheeks. After checking the time, she rose to her feet and scolded herself. If anyone had walked in while her defenses were down, then that would've be the end of her.

Poking her head out of the room, she saw that the hallway was empty. At first she started to walk back to her quarters, but then her feet turned the other way. She wasn't ready to return into the confines of her cell, and rather settled for a walk with no destination.

Her misery slowly gave way to anger with a further step she took away from her room. Rey had always originally approached the root of problem with one thing in mind: that her weakness was what led to their downfall.

The soft pattering of her footsteps stopped. What if it wasn't her? What if her sadness was misplaced, and the root of the problem lay in the enemies she fought, and not herself? The more she thought about it, the angrier she got. If there was no war, no sides…if she could grow stronger to hold her own and defeat everyone that stood in her way…then she will reach her purpose. Then there would be no opposition, and there would be no grief. There would be no heartbreak. There would be no burden if there were no problems.

There may be another way, but for now, this is what she would settle with. Instead of sulking around, she should allot of her available time training mentally and physically, growing stronger.

Rey's mind was set, her spirit renewed with similar energy that led her to leave her room in the first place.

She approached an unfamiliar hallway and walked halfway the distance before she realized she was in a place she should not be. The sound of voices began to slowly permeate her ears, but instead of walking away from them, she closed the gap, curiosity having gotten the better of her.

To her right was a large opening that led into a massive enclosure. Her head peeked around the edge. The platform in front of her gave way into a few dipping stair steps that led to a numerous amount of computers with First Order employees sitting behind each chair. Somehow, she had sneaked her way to the main deck.

Her eyes flickered across the room. She took the tired, haggard faces of men and women alike as they worked overtime, sipping coffee to funnel as much energy as they could into their bodies before they expired for the day. The only exception was a couple of young First Order officers laughing at some inside joke they only knew. Rey couldn't get over how _normal_ they were.

"Maker, they're so similar to the Resistance," she whispered to herself. And they were. The core of their existence was the exact same.

"Of course they are. Did you think we were barbarians?"

Rey spun around faster than a blaster shot to a man towering over her. She didn't need to look into his face to know who it was. His voice was altered and robes replaced, missing the tears that were present in Snoke's throne room, but his stature was the same. And who else would wear a pleated surcoat?

Kylo Ren continued, ignoring her look of shock at his artifice.

"Hello, Rey."

There was something about his helmet that intimidated her. His true face lay behind that mask of his, and it was very easy to envision him as an evil stranger than the one she felt like she knew. Kylo Ren.

"They all have families. Friends. Loved ones they would die for. Just because we are the First Order does not mean we are soulless."

"No," she spat, backing away. "But their Supreme Leader is." This was the first time she alone had seen him with his helmet on since he tried to pry her mind open, and it did nothing but rouse bitter memories inside of her.

"What are you doing here, Rey?"

"Can you take off that stupid helmet of yours?" she asked, looking away. She could feel his eyes appraising her outfit.

"You don't like it?" he asked, his voice piqued in curiosity.

"Not particularly."

"The fewer people who know my face, the better. The Supreme Leader is a symbol of power, not a lone man."

He took a step forward. Rey tried to take one back, but could not when she felt the cold wall press against her back.

"What are you doing out here? I already told you trying to spy on us is fruitless."

"I wasn't trying to spy on you!" she argued. "You had me trapped like some rabid animal. I've been locked in a room for two days. There's no way I can do another. I need _air_. So I decided to explore."

"Explore?" he asked. She could feel him raising his eyebrows behind that helmet of his.

"Yes." It wasn't a complete lie.

"I sense that you are robust." He took his gloved hand and gestured to her arm wraps. "What's this?"

"Clothes from the quarters. You should know, since you put them there," she retorted with a soft snort.

" _Your_ quarters. Resourceful."

"Well, my options were severely limited. It seems like all you provided for me was one color."

She could feel his stare on her tunic. "Black becomes you, Rey."

She turned her head off to the side and could feel a shade of pink blossoming over her cheeks.

"Thank you," she finally settled. She found herself shuffling her foot back and forth and immediately stopped.

"Now that you've directly disobeyed my orders, I guess I have no choice but to show you around," he said stiffly. "To fulfill your…explorative appetite."

Rey couldn't help the smile. "Kylo Ren," she teased. "Are you bantering?"

"Perhaps. I leave it up to your interpretation."

He offered her his hand. Rey was about to take it, but jumped back in the last second. Her head darted to his, and even though his helmet was shadowing his features, she knew he was simmering at her rejection.

"You already know what will happen if our hands touch. Until I figure out more about our connection, I'd like to keep the contact to a bare minimum, unless absolutely necessary. Please understand that."

Communicating to him from within was entirely different than physically touching him. It wasn't bad, but it wasn't good either. It was overwhelming.

He stared at her, but then surprised her by stiffly nodding. She was certain he wouldn't adhere to her request. Walking forward, she tagged along by his side.

"Where are you taking me?" she asked, her brisk, small strides easily overshadowed by his lengthy ones.

"Since you were so adamant on exploring, you may walk alongside me while I fulfill my duties for the remainder of the day," he replied, almost desultorily.

The two of them walked down the few stairs onto the bridge. The walkway was right in between both operation panels, and Rey couldn't help but notice how chairs swiveled around not to acknowledge the Supreme Leader, but the company at his side. Suddenly, owning a helmet didn't seem like such a bad idea after all.

"Supreme Leader, our reports from Numina have just come back in," a man said, approaching the two. There was something familiar about his flaming orange hair…

"Proceed, General."

The general stopped tapping on his tablet and looked up, straight into the face of Rey.

The next scene unfolded in slow-motion.

Rey caught a glimpse of the general's pale skin and the widening of his eyes. His mouth slightly dipped, but then erected itself into a firm scowl, his teeth bared. She saw the slight tilt of his body to the left as his right hand went to grab at the blaster clipped onto his belt.

But she was faster. Before he could unstrap his weapon and shoot her with it, Rey took two steps forward and stretched her hand out behind her, calling Kylo Ren's lightsaber to her. She closed the remaining distance between them and pressed the cold, hard tip of the hilt into his chest.

To any spectator, it would appear as if the close proximity between the two was the start of a long-awaited tryst.

"Remove your hand from your belt," she warned.

General Hux's eyes flitted to the weapon pressed against his uniform, then to Rey's eyes.

"You wouldn't dare," he challenged, but she saw a flicker of fear behind his indomitable mask.

Rey's grip on her hilt tightened and he grimaced at the increased pressure. "Test me," she whispered threateningly. If he was a general, then he was one of the leaders of the war. That meant he was one of the many responsible for the deaths of her friends. She pushed the hilt further up into his ribcage and he visibly grimaced this time.

The man glared at her for a long time, but his shoulders finally lost tension and he slowly removed his hand from his hip. A few seconds later, Rey followed suit, tucking the lightsaber into her belt and cautiously backing away.

"Hux, this is Rey, from Jakku. Rey, General Hux." It was apparent by the tone in Kylo's voice that he loathed the man.

"I'm well aware. This area is off-limits to all but First Order personnel. What is the scavenger doing here?" he sneered, after straightening his front.

"My apprentice and I were merely discussing training lessons for tomorrow."

Rey whirled around, about to give him a piece of her mind, but then caught herself.

"Your apprentice?" Hux asked, staring incredulously at her reaction. "I don't believe it."

"Believe what you want, Hux," Kylo Ren said. "Her responsibility belongs solely to me."

If Kylo lied to General Hux, then that meant…

"Now, the report."

Rey saw the general's jaw clench, but because he was either smart or scared or both, he followed orders and grumpily yanked the tablet up to his chest and began tapping. Kylo turned around to face the front of the ship and Rey followed suit.

"Reports for help have come in from within Rost's government. Our sources say they are rebelling."

"Who?"

"The principal leader, Damesh. Yesterday, he led a group of over four strong, attacking the First Order's supply chains."

"The Resistance?"

Rey sucked in her breath. She was sure Kylo Ren could sense her reaction.

General Hux glanced at Rey before answering.

"No, Supreme Leader. It seems as if Damesh was growing wary of the First Order's governing methods. He had been a public enemy of the First Order since our formation. Never hesitating to slander our name with his reckless denouncings on the Holonet, he had built up quite a bit of support. Although small in number, they were quite efficient. Twelve of our transport ships, responsible for delivering supplies and sustenance to the Star Destroyers, were destroyed during a brief refueling stop on the east side of the city." Hux scrolled his fingers on the screen and the larger hologram version of it zoomed in to a small sector in the city that Rey could not follow fast enough.

Rey couldn't even begin to fathom how much food that was, but it seemed like Kylo Ren could.

"Twelve?"

"Y—yes, Supreme Leader."

"And where are the culprits now?"

"We initiated a lockdown immediately after the destruction of First Order property, and there are now curfew regulations in place. Damesh and his cronies could not have made it out of the city without notice."

Kylo Ren nodded.

"Plot a course immediately for the Middle Rim. I want to be there within two days. Do not release the hold on the city until we get there. I will handle matters myself."

"If I may, as Supreme Leader, you need to assert your leadership with large masses for intimidation and protection—"

"Protection?" Kylo Ren turned to Hux, voice dangerously low.

"Not to undermine your strength, Supreme Leader, but Damesh has proven to be quite formidable—"

The General suddenly found it difficult to talk.

"You undermine my authority, Hux."

He stared at him a few more seconds before flicking his head Rey, who was standing by his side.

"On second thought, I will take someone," he said, relinquishing his hold on the poor man. "The girl. My apprentice. She will accompany me to the surface of Numina."

"Supreme Leader…sir?" Hux gasped, coming to a stand. "Against over fifty men?"

"You underestimate me, Hux."

"With all due respect, Supreme Leader, there is a fine line between confidence and arrogance—"

My decision is final," he commanded. "You will now busy yourself by setting coordinates for the planet."

The ginger man finally nodded, a permanent dirty look etched on his face.

"Of course, Supreme Leader." Then he left.

Kylo Ren turned to Rey and was not surprised to find her brimming with anger at him. But before she could shout at him, he held up his hand.

"I do not wish to draw attention to us," he said.

Rey managed to keep herself in check. Although it would be a relief to give him a piece of her mind, doing in front of dozens of people was the last thing she wanted. The two of them began their walk back to the entrance of the main cabin.

Hushed whispers rose around him and Rey tried her best to tune them out, but to a limited extent. A few officers on one side of the room admired her lithe figure, to which elicited the hairs on her arms to stand up and a menacing growl to escape from her lips. Kylo Ren turned his head to her but did not say anything. Her ears also picked up questions asking why a Knight of Ren was present without their helmet on, to which she found herself disgusted by. But there was one personnel that she heard bitterly say something that caused her to snap for the third time today.

"Seems like the Supreme Leader has been preoccupying himself with a lowly damsel."

Rey spun around and stared at the man who uttered under his breath. His eyes grew wide as he realized his mistake too late.

"I am _not_ his escort!"

She saw the man lift his bottom out of the seat and try to stand, but she Force-pushed him back down. His back slammed into the upholstery of the chair.

"Stay where you are," she hissed, stomping over to him.

"I—I didn't say anything," he pleaded, and his denial only served to further piss her off.

"You _lie_ ," she seethed, burning in a torrent of white-hot rage.

She didn't know why she did what she did. Perhaps the day had been more taxing than she thought. Maybe being near Kylo Ren had its detrimental side effects. Regardless, Rey lost control one more time and lifted her hand.

"Enough."

The young officer's back arched and his hands flew to his throat, but before she could squeeze harder, her power vanished and the man fell back into his chair.

She gasped, lowering her hand. It was far worse than the first time. Her disheveled face lifted and darted to Kylo Ren, who stood still with his hand outstretched, waiting for her next move.

"Rey." The voice was filled with barely suppressed anger, but not at her.

"Maker, what's happening to me?" she choked. She brought up her hands closer to her face and saw nothing but dark, red blood.

"No, no, no," she panted, wiping her palms against her pants before bringing them back up to make sure they were clean. More blood began oozing the crevices between her fingers.

"No," she backed. "I'm sorry, please—"

She couldn't face the guilt. She couldn't face another person looking at her with genuine fear. So she did the only thing she could do.

She ran away.

 **Kylo**

"Someone pull up the security feed. I want to know where she is."

He paced back and forth for several minutes until he heard one of his personnel's voices.

"Supreme Leader, she appears to have disappeared inside her quarters. Instructions?"

"Continue our course for Numina!" he snarled at one of the pilots. The man shakily responded, but he ignored him.

As shameful as it sounded for an almost thirty year old man, Kylo Ren had never had held a relationship of any magnitude with any women. He found himself unsure of how to proceed. The scavenger was crying, and part of him was pulled to her—he wanted to go to her, but another part of him was, in a sense, _wary_. He had never been a compassionate human being, and during rare times where he did allow for emotions to briefly crack his composure, the feeling was unknown.

"Screw it all," he said, to no one in particularly. Whirling on his feet, he left the main deck. His duties could wait.

Why were her quarters so damn far away? Kylo paced himself with long, brisk strides through hallway after hallway. On-duty Stormtroopers stood sentinel, saluting him the moment they saw him round the corner, but he paid them no heed.

Before long, he was at the front of her door, unsure of how to proceed. He took his helmet off his head along with the glove off his hand and prepared to scan it, but then thought better. Knocking would be the right thing to do.

He knocked. Silence greeted him.

He knocked again.

Kylo Ren was just about to blast into her room after knocking for the third time when the door suddenly slid open to reveal a very distressed, red-eyed, and tear-stricken Rey. He didn't miss how a look of surprise appeared on her widening eyes, or how she tentatively retreated a step back into the shadows.

"May I come in?" he asked, feeling strange.

"Uhm…" Her voice was timid. "Okay."

She parted to the side and allowed him in. The two of them could have gone to the table and sat in the chairs, but instead they stood in the middle of the room. Unmoving. Unbreathing.

A long silence ensued. Kylo wasn't sure how to approach the matter at hand. He could sense a torrent of conflicted feelings threatening to rip her from the inside out. Finally, when the silence was no longer bearable, he spoke.

"Rey, it is perfectly acceptable."

At his voice, she looked up.

"No, it's not!"

His voice seemed to be the hammer that cracked open the dam, and she began spilling out everything she had been holding in.

"It's not okay! What have I done? What have I done?" she lamented. He saw her look down and freeze at his lightsaber, still strapped to her side.

"Rey—" he stopped short when she began fumbling with the strap.

"Take this damn thing, take it. Just get it off me!" she cried, unstrapping it and chucking it to the ground. Kylo flexed his fingers and called his weapon over to him, clicking it to his side.

Giving up with words, he Force-pulled her closer to him. She didn't seem to notice, for her face was buried in her hands.

"My emotions are manipulating me, Kylo! I'm not stable! Do you want to know what happened to me earlier today?" she cried.

"I know."

"You know?" she asked. "How much?" He saw a look of panic replace her devastated one, but he brushed it off, thinking nonetheless of it.

"Enough. Even if those Stormtroopers had not filed their reports, I still would have known. The connection we share opens wider whenever you are in a vulnerable state. Your anger was easily palpable."

Rey's face crumbled. "I'm a monster."

"Rey, look at me."

Rey brought her bloodshot, tear-filled eyes to Kylo Ren's.

"You are not a monster, Rey," he said, taking both of her hands into his. He felt her lean her body into his, and the feeling was quite pleasant. "That I can guarantee."

"B—but I can't hold on to my emotions, Kylo," she sobbed. "I'll just keep losing control over and over again. I don't want that to happen. Today, in the hallway—I almost lost myself. After I began choking him, I didn't want to stop. And today, on the deck, with the officer and Hux…I got so angry with him at everything he's done to the Resistance, and I wanted to teeter off the cliff. I wanted to _kill_ him."

"And me too, when you woke."

She gasped for breath and took a deep gulp of air.

"The worst part of it all is that you're right," she continued. He tensed at her confession, but she didn't let him go. If anything, she pulled him closer.

"Maker, you're _right_. Everything you've said about me, it's all true. This darkness you mentioned, it's there. I knew it was there but I had always denied it, telling myself that it was a figure of my imagination if I wasn't busy irrationally justifying it. But now I know…it's in me _._ It's a part of who I am, and I don't want any more people to be hurt because of it. I don't want to lose control."

"You won't," he said, voice full of reassurance.

"But how do you know? Maker, I need help," she admitted, eliciting a choked laugh.

"Training," he answered. Rey lifted her head and gave him a skeptical look.

"I already said—"

"This is not about your likes or dislikes. Harnessing your emotions is no easy task, and takes mental fortitude along the likes of which you do not have."

Rey narrowed her eyes but let him continue.

"What is important is to understand how to let these emotions take over you and use them to your advantage. That is one of many lessons you will learn under my tutelage—for you to achieve a higher grasp on control."

Rey bit her lip. "I don't know…"

Kylo didn't allow his exasperation to show. "It is acceptable to be this way. You cannot help what you feel. If you could, then you would no longer be your true self. Denying who you are will only remove you further from the path you are destined to walk on. Trust me," he told her.

He could see her thinking.

"No dark side stuff?" she finally asked.

"No dark side stuff," he repeated. Then, feeling snarky, he added, "Unless you desire so."

"Kylo!" Even in her devastated state, the man in front of her could make her laugh.

He found himself smiling too, before growing aware of how they were touching. His eyes flitted to their clasped hands—hers on top of his—and he saw her eyes do the same.

Her fingers twitched, but before either of them could pull away, he was launched into a memory.

" _Ben!"_

" _What is it now, Kira?"_

 _The young girl twirled around and gave a short bark of laughter._

" _Look what I can do!"_

 _A boy with messy hair and green eyes standing opposite to her shifted his attention from his lightsaber to Kira's hands. A small insect lay on its back in the palm of her hand, obviously struggling for life as it twitched._

 _At Kira's countdown, a small glow of green aura surrounded the insect. Ben couldn't see what was going on the in the palm of her hand, for the green light held a translucent hue, but he had seen the other older Padawans practice in front of Luke._

 _He gazed as the light dimmed, and then gasped when the insect fluttered its tiny wings. It turned its face to Kira and gave her a small buzz and then took off from her hand and flew away._

" _Finally, something that I can do better than you!"_

 _Ben felt a tinge of annoyance, but allowed it to fade away at how happy she looked. The girl across from her was much younger than him, and sometimes he had to tell herself that her train of thought was not the same as his._

" _Have you told Master Luke yet?"_

 _Kira shook her head. "No, this is the first time I've seen something injured! I don't know why there aren't more bugs around here…"_

" _Insects are a rarity in this biting weather."_

" _Biting? Who's biting?"_

" _Never mind."_

 _Small, slender arms wrapped around his lower waist._

" _Now you don't have to protect me anymore. I can protect you!"_

" _Is that so?" he chuckled, sticking his hand into her dark brown hair and rubbing her scalp. "I don't need protection, Kira. You do."_

" _I'm smarter than you think, Ben. I can see the other children here are mean to you. You feel left out. But I will always be here!"_

 _She let her grip around him go, and then took his hands into each of her own. He let her without any complaints._

" _Come on, I'm hungry. It's time to eat!"_

His mind was jerked back to reality at the same time Rey's was. Her touch left his and he let out a whimper so quiet that even he couldn't hear.

"What was that?" he heard her ask. "Was that…was that you?"

Kylo shook his head at the past. Anger was beginning to rise in his chest. "Not tonight."

"But I saw—that boy had the same eyes as you. And you were talking to someone…was that—"

"I said I don't want to talk about it!" he shouted at her. Rey took a step backwards at his unexpected outburst.

"Your training begins tomorrow at dawn. I will arrive to escort you to the training rooms."

"Kylo," Rey whispered. Her voice was filled with caution and disappointment, amongst other things, but beneath all those layers, he detect something else that shook him to the core: sympathy.

He didn't want to discuss it. There was a storm brewing inside him, but seeing her in her vulnerable state, combined with a memory he spent years suppressing unlocked something in him. Suddenly, he felt _very_ tired.

Knowing she was going to hate him for this, he brushed his hand in the air. Rey's eyes widened for a fraction of a second as her brain caught up to what was happening.

He caught her before she fell.


	6. Chapter 6

Hi.

Sorry for the late update. I've been excruciatingly busy with school and have a few exams coming up in a couple of days. Combining this with a lack of reviews and feedback, my motivation has plummeted. However, I will still try my hardest to crank new chapters out. Keep in mind that there is no editing or rephrasing of anything. I write it and then never look at it again. I know it's something that is unprofessional and frowned upon, but if I had more time I could do these things.

* * *

"I said at the crack of dawn."

Rey opened her eyes to see Kylo Ren standing at the entrance to her door with his helmet pressed to his side. Her hands scrambled for the covers.

"Taupe. A sentimental choice. It reminds you of your wrap dress."

Rey had half a mind to yell at him at his intrusion. The nightgown she had selected after drowsily waking up in the middle of the night was wrapped snugly around her.

"Maker, you scared me. How long have you been there?" she asked.

"Not long. You are late."

Rey scowled. "How in the galaxy did you even get in?"

She kicked the covers off her, no longer caring about what he would see. Getting out of the bed and annoyed, she collected the clothes she had laid out for today and stumbled past him and to the refresher.

"Impertinent bastard," she muttered. Waving at one of the chairs, she said, "You can sit down while I get ready."

Kylo Ren raised one of his eyebrows but obeyed her. The act threw her for a loop, but it was still too early and she was still half asleep. Trodding to the refresher, she made sure to lock the door behind her and double-check.

A relieve and a brief shower later, Rey emerged, hair wet, in the same outfit she wore yesterday, barring for a new article of clothing: a small cowl where she could lift the hood over the face to avoid unsought stares.

"What?" she asked at his amused expression, fully awake. To her right, his helmet lay on the table for two.

"You remind me of—"

"Yourself. Yeah, I know," she retorted, sinking to one knee and tying her boot. "Don't get full of yourself. It's so that I don't draw unwanted attention."

"Obviously."

Rey stared at him, nonplussed.

"First you invite yourself into my room, and next you treat me like dirt at the bottom of your boot. You sure are someone else."

"My handprint is authorized for every door and entrance on all First Order ships," he said, ignoring her.

"I suppose it's too much to ask for some privacy then," she muttered, wishing her staff was available so she could pummel him with it.

"If that is your wish, I can post Stormtroopers outside your door."

Rey rolled her eyes. Not even an hour in the day, and she was already vexed.

He took a step to meet Rey's face right as she stood up after tying her other boot.

"Is this more along the lines of what you were thinking?" he asked.

Rey backed away, losing her balance. Her feet tripped over the side of her bed and she fell, hitting the sheets with her bottom. Propping herself up with both of her arms behind her back, she glowered.

"Maker, you're infuriating," she muttered, refusing to meet his look. She pulled herself up and started walking for the door.

"Where are you going?" he asked.

"To train. You wanted to teach me, correct?"

"I have edicts you have not agreed to yet," Kylo Ren commanded, using the Force to turn her around.

Rey growled for what seemed like the tenth time today when a sudden memory from last night hit her.

"You seriously want me to oblige by your demands after last night?" she said, storming to him until she was within arm's reach. "Let me tell you something, Kylo Ren. You will _never_ use the Force on me again, or there will be severe consequences."

Kylo Ren unsheathed his lightsaber and held the flaming blade to her neck faster than Rey could blink.

"You seem to be misguided. Somehow, you are led to believe that we have a camaraderie; that this is two-way discussion. Let me make one thing clear. You came to me begging to be taught—"

"I didn't b—" Rey protested, but stopped when a spark from the blade scorched her neck. She gulped. She knew he wouldn't go through with his threat, but his blade was still a symbol of power. Scary power.

"—taught, to control your emotions. I agreed to your pleas. And if you are to be under my tutelage, you shall kneel and address me as 'Master'. Is that clear?"

He pulled the lightsaber away from her face. Rey breathed a sigh of relief, but her body turned rigid when she saw him unmoving, silently standing and waiting for her consensus.

Rey kept her face blank, but inside, she was sorely tempted to steal his lightsaber and give him a taste of his own medicine. But by the flicker she saw in his eyes, he knew.

The fact that he understood what she was feeling at that moment got under Rey's skin more than she cared to imagine and only served to verify his point that she did need this training, even if it was from him.

So it was with a heavy heart that Rey sank on her left knee and bowed her head.

"Yes, Master," she grit painfully. The word rolled off her tongue like a bitter pill.

"Now, was that so difficult?" Kylo Ren asked.

Rey could tell by the change in his tone that he was grinning, and this was proven true when he told her to rise. She followed his orders, seeing a stupid smirk etched on his face.

"Relax yourself," he said, adeptly sensing another flare of anger. "We will reach the training rooms soon enough."

He jerked his head toward the door. Rey went first, lifting the cowl's hood over her head and keeping her eyes glued to the floor, taking care to turn around and glue her eyes on him.

The walk down the hallways seemed distant and strained by their silence. Rey's pride already took a hit when she got on her knee, and she refused to allow herself to be intimidated by walking by his side rather than behind him like an obedient slave. She continued to bow her head and made sure to scour her surroundings and memorize the path's turns, secretly relieved that he was guiding her.

"You have much to learn, Rey," he said suddenly.

Rey lifted her head to find him staring forward.

"I'm not talking to you with that helmet on," she flatly said, refusing to let him dictate another one of her preferences.

"What you think is your way of rebelling against authority only serves to strengthen your puerility instead."

"You can believe what you want to believe in, and I'll believe in what I want to believe," she fumed. They were back at square one.

A few minutes later, he surprised her by removing his helmet, but it melted back to annoyance when he stopped walking. They stood in front of a massive door in the middle of cul-de-sac.

"We're here."

Her annoyance was replaced by perturbation.

"Oh," was all she said.

Kylo Ren nodded at her and then gestured for her to place her hand on the scanner.

Rey held her hand out and hesitated at first, but then thought better of it. Her palm touched the screen and there was a sullen beep. The door in front of them slid open and they walked inside.

When she saw the inside, her jaw dropped.

It was as polar of an opposite it could be compared to Ahch-To. Even though Rey would always attribute one of her favorite moments being that of experiencing rain for the first time, all of her fascination with the wet droplets melted away at what Kylo Ren's training room bore.

Walls painted pure, blistering white was a direct contrast to the meek gray and black walls decorating the rest of the ship. The color was so bright that Rey had to squint her eyes before they adjusted to the setting. On the left end, the rectangular room held a swanky set of gym equipment stretching so far beyond her line of sight that Rey had to crane her neck to catch a glimpse of the end wall. On her right lay a formidable rack of weapons that invited the appraiser to step into the training center, a polished open black floor that was more than enough of a challenge for even the fastest person to run from one side to the other in under five seconds.

Rey approached the weapon rack, her hand shaking. There were beasts of all sizes. She recognized blades such as karambits, throwing knives, push daggers, but dozens more lay strewn on different rows of the rack that she was unfamiliar with. When she walked over to the other side of the rack, she noticed a few larger, upgraded blasters and several hilts laying littered. Lightsabers, perhaps. She wondered who they belonged to, if not for public use, but her thoughts trailed off when she approached a staff quite similar to her original one she had for all her life. There was even detachable leather strap that she could sling around her shoulders, if she wanted.

Her fingers delicately brushed against the weapon. Slightly longer than hers, the dark glossy surface was capable of reflecting her face, albeit distorted. Without waiting for Kylo's approval, she gingerly held out both hands and picked the weapon up, judging how light it was.

"Made with titanium at the ends and durasteel at the hilt. Nothing like the scrap pieces of metal junk you forged yours with."

A sadness opened up in Rey and she felt her shoulders going slack, the elation evaporating from her like water in Jakku's heat. That staff had gotten her through thick and thin, as both a utility tool and a weapon against invaders, and she treasured it immensely. And now it was missing. Gone.

The thought of her inanimate companion forever lost in the galaxy began to eat her from the inside out, and Rey began to feel as if she lost a large important part of herself. All of a sudden, she found herself willing to do anything to chip away at the sadness.

Pivoting her dominant foot to the side and spinning around on it, she whipped the staff at the man she sensed behind him. She didn't have any expectations that her attack was successful, and this was confirmed when she felt the staff freeze in midair.

Expecting a retaliating threat, she was taken by surprise when instead, he loosened his grip on the staff. Comprehension hit her when she realized that he himself understood the sorrow and rationale behind her hasty attack.

His other hand shot to the weapon rack and called one of the objects that Rey thought was a lightsaber. But when he activated it, she knew better. She had seen a few Stormtroopers using it on Takodana; a metal hilt with a handle installed menacingly unfolded a beam of energy that pulsed electricity. If she got hit by that, it would hurt. But it would be better than being dead.

"Come," Kylo Ren said, turning and crossing where white met black.

As if mind-controlled, Rey followed suit. Both of them faced toward each other, on opposite sides of the fighting ground.

Kylo Ren gave a twirl of his weapon and Rey was filled with a sudden rush of excitement. She had never, ever fought anyone in an organized battle before, so the experience was novel to her. Her heart pumped harder, her senses grew sharper, and her breathing patterns became quicker.

She did not expect the first attack. From staring at her quietly to suddenly being pressed against her face, Rey was forced to pull the staff to her face in order to deflect his attack.

"Not bad," he commended, before sweeping low and knocking her on her back with his foot. "But you must predict what is to come."

He held out his hand and offered to help her up, but she refused. Using her staff as leverage, she propped herself up and glowered at him.

"That was a cheap shot," she said.

"You out of everyone should know that there is no announcer in war."

She gave a yell and charged at him. He lazily stepped to the side and arched his back backwards, following suit with an outstretched foot. Rey wasn't fast enough and tripped over it and fell to the ground.

"Get up," Kylo Ren said.

She crawled to her knees and pushed herself up.

"You weren't this strong when I fought you before," she scowled, rubbing her shoulder.

"That is because you are missing a key piece of the puzzle, my apprentice," he smirked, before launching himself at her again.

If the staff wasn't meant to absorb electricity, Rey would have been on the floor writhing in pain after his next attack. Kylo Ren was as skilled with the Z6 riot control baton as he was with his lightsaber. During the times Rey was on the defensive, she couldn't help but notice how graceful he was; how every pivot of his foot and every minute movement and flourish was done with purpose.

Rey noticed a gap in his attack and moved forward to strike. Tilting heavily to the right to avoid getting hit by the baton, she lunged forward with the staff and jabbed him in his left pelvic region.

Kylo Ren's attack faltered for a split second. A smile began to form on Rey's face, but it changed to confusion when she felt the tip of her staff hit not flesh, but the metal surface of the baton.

"Why can't I hit you?" she said, growing frustrated.

Kylo Ren said nothing but continued to push forward. Rey had to buckle both her knees and lean backward as far as she could to avoid the swing electricity at her chest, but this left her vulnerable to his follow-up. The electric baton finished its arc and he brought it up diagonally and slashed her right hip.

Rey dropped to the ground on her back, spasming at the current of electricity shooting through her body. The pain was unreal, unlike anything she had ever experienced. She thought she could tolerate it, given the mental pain she endured on Jakku, but this pain was pure physical; the thought of sawing through her own leg didn't come close.

And just like that, it was over. As the last bits of electricity ran their course in her body, her awareness grew sharper. She quickly scrambled to her knees, wincing at how tender her muscles were. Kylo Ren had stopped attacking her the moment she fell, and was now waiting for her to proceed.

And then it hit her.

"I understand now," she said, panting. "I understand."

"Which is?"

"I didn't have the proper motive," she answered.

"And that is your first lesson, apprentice."

"The Jedi code instructs that emotions are barriers, not the key to freedom," she countered, instantaneously feeling defensive.

"Of course. That is what a Jedi would say," Kylo Ren sneered. "Wrong, might I add."

"It's true." But even as Rey said this, a shroud of uncertainty swarmed inside her gut.

"No. Passion is key. Embrace your anger. Your hatred. Only then will you live to your fullest potential," he said, tossing the staff that had rolled to him back to Rey.

Knowing that progress was impossible without a teacher, she obliged his words.

Rey thought back to when she allowed her anger to fuel her in the encounter against the Stormtroopers. She remembered how her fingers twitched not in desperation, but in pleasure, well-receiving the sparks that jolted her deep to her core at the omnipotence she possessed.

It scared her.

"Feel it," he urged.

The face before her shimmered and faded away into a much darker one, the same one she saw when he tormented others. She saw the face that killed Han Solo, the face that killed Luke Skywalker, and her fury grew. It was a different person.

"Harness it, Rey," Kylo Ren breathed. The use of her name caused Rey's eyes to snap open and she snarled.

"Shut up, you murderous snake!" she spit, bringing the staff to meet his baton. She could tell she took him by surprise by the way he sloppily defended, slightly stumbling back. Using his disorientation to her advantage, she hastily jumped forward, fighting him with twice the intensity she had given moments ago. Kylo attempted to parry and counter, but she was always one step ahead of him. The battle was now in her favor. Throwing his attack off with brute force, she landing three quick strikes in succession. After the first two hits in his stomach, he attempted to parry the third, but could only partially negate the injury when her staff slid off his baton and pierced him in his left breast rather than his sternum.

"Not bad," she mocked him from earlier. "But you must predict what is to come."

Kylo Ren kicked out with his foot while he was on the ground and she tumbled to the ground as well. She turned over on her back to find him on top of her, his face merely inches from hers.

"Your disobedience is unattractive, but you make up for it with your spirit."

Rey kneed him in his stomach and then pushed him off to the side. He landed with a dull thump.

They both scrambled to their feet at the same time and stared at each other. Both of them were panting, and beads of sweat were beginning to trickle down Rey's face.

"You let me get those hits," she grinned.

"No," Kylo countered. "Letting in your emotions and controlling them allowed you to fight with a higher formidability than with your belief that emotions are barriers."

The two began to pace around each other. Kylo Ren was like a calculated predator, and Rey couldn't help but admire how someone so deadly could look so serene.

Kylo Ren stood low and stepped toward her. Rey reacted by readying her staff, but what he did next took her by surprise. Instead of progressing with an attack, he stopped in his tracks and focused his energy on using the Force instead. Rey was taken off guard by his fake move and her staff was ripped from her hands right before she was dragged forward by his power.

Right into his arms.

And before Rey knew what was happening, his lips crushed against hers.

Her mind exploded in a frenzy of fireworks when she felt the warmth of his mouth on hers, and she gasped. The sensation was foreign and overwhelming, but her eyes still fell closed as she savored his soft lips. They remained unmoving, yet the sheer contact flared the bond that linked him and her together and it hummed with warm energy. And then she felt his tongue run along her bottom lip.

In her vulnerable state, Rey could no longer deny him. Her mouth fell open, and when his tongue touched hers, she lost all control and caved in. A battle raged on between the two, battling for dominance until her jaw hurt. But it was pure bliss. Care and comfort that had first manifested in her heart when she touched the tips of her fingers for the first time with Kylo on Ahch-To exploded to the front of her chest and shocked her, filling her with a deep longing. Live electricity flowed through her veins, fueled by Kylo Ren's fervent compassion, giving her another addicting dose with every second they remained in contact.

Far too soon for her liking, he pulled away. Rey opened her eyes and realized she was probably running her hands through his hair during all that from how disheveled it was. They were both panting heavily, and there a hungry glint in his eyes.

"Maker, that was—"

Rey didn't get to finish her sentence before his lips were gnawing at hers again. He took her top lip in between his, sucking them, and Rey whimpered, mashing herself against him so she could get more. He happily obliged, biting and nibbling until she felt herself flooded with arousal at his advances. A deep, throbbing sensation undulated at her core, and was only fed more when she could feel his manhood pressed against her tunic. Feeling bold, she grinded her stomach against him and hungrily tasted his moan as he released the low sound into her mouth. Proud, she tortured him some more by giving her hips a little wiggle, savoring how he grew even harder.

She could do this forever but in the end, her lungs were burning so badly she had to pry herself off him.

And when she did, the bond between the two closed, content. Her satisfied beam slowly shattered as logic and rationality returned, and then the whole world came crashing down.

Rey's eyes widened and her hands flew to her mouth, in disbelief.

"Rey—" Kylo began.

"No," she interrupted with a whisper. "This can't have happened."

"Rey—"

"What have I done?" she squeaked. "What have I done?" Her feet moved of their own accord and backed her away from the man in front of her.

"Rey…" Kylo Ren said, leaning in with his hand.

She recoiled away from him and he moved back.

"Don't touch me!"

"What's gotten into you?!" he yelled back, masking his apparent hurt at her response behind anger.

Rey laughed, but it was as hollow as her heart.

"Don't you understand?" she said, stabbing her finger at Kylo Ren's face. "This is wrong."

She could see his face drop.

"Wrong?" he asked. "Did any of what just happened feel wrong? Look me in the eyes, Rey. No," he demanded, Force-turning her head when she looked away at anything but. "Look me in the face and tell me that what we experienced was _wrong_."

He watched her search for an answer.

"I can't," she finally choked, tears starting to well. "But it's not right. It can't be right."

"Why can't it be right?!" he argued, furiously kicking the baton that was near him away.

"You don't understand! Someone like you could never understand!" she shouted, blindly trying to navigate her way to the door. He followed her and grabbed her arm, trying to prevent her from leaving. But her strength was on a whole new level and she easily threw him off. He heard her fumbling with the scanner, and then the click of the door as it closed behind her.

 **Kylo**

Kylo heard her footsteps disappear from his range of hearing before he lost control. Screaming in rage, he furiously ripped his lightsaber from his side, igniting it. He called a few training droids to battle him and he sliced them all apart, giving into his anger. It wasn't enough. He called dozens more, and they all met the same fate. He sliced through them like a hot knife, and when it didn't give him enough gratification, he dropped his lightsaber to the ground and began pummeling them with his fists instead, feeling his flesh and bones give away to the dense metal that was more than capable of holding its own against human skin.

By the time he was done, his hands were nothing more than bloodied masses. But even the pain he felt was secondary to Rey's dejection. He struggled to pick up his lightsaber, but he did so nonetheless. Picking up his helmet, he left the room and the carnage in its wake and ran down the hallways. There was only one place Rey could be.

Reaching her quarters, he slammed the lumps he could hardly call his hand onto the scanner. The scanner rejected him with a red beep. He tried again, and got the same result.

"Damn it!" he cursed, pressing his useless handprint over and over again, only to be on the receiving end of the security system's denial.

He unsheathed his lightsaber. He'll break through if he must.

The door suddenly lid open to reveal Rey in her same black clothes. Kylo's glowing lightsaber was so bright that he could identify her puffy face hiding behind her untidy hair. He turned off the lightsaber, not wanting to see any more. But even still, he couldn't shut away her confusion and regret, guiltiness and uncertainty radiating from within her. Their connection made sure of that.

"Leave me alone!" she yelled in tears, sobbing in front of him. She made no move to shut the door, and Kylo took this as a good sign and walked inside.

"I can't, Rey. I don't know what this feeling inside of me is, but I need answers. I need to know!"

Rey continued crying. He leaned forward to try to grab her body and hold her in a tight embrace, but she avoided it.

"No!" he said. "You don't need to run. You _will_ tell me what is happening!"

"Kylo, please," she begged, hiccupping in the process.

The use of his name and her begging seemed to stop him in his tracks. He clenched down on his teeth, the muscles in his cheek bulging.

"I can't do this," she whispered, broken.

 _Don't say that_ , he chanted his head. _Anything but that._

"Talk to me. Let me understand."

"Don't you understand?" she murmured, taking a seat in her bed. He joined her, taking care not to graze her. As much as he wanted to, he would respect her wishes.

Respect her wishes. How one kiss could lead to him following her orders like an obedient slave.

"No, Rey. Please let me understand."

Rey hiccupped again and took a deep, wavering breath.

"Kylo, we are on opposite sides. You are _supposed_ to be my enemy! And not only that, like it or not, we are still in a war!"

"With you, it doesn't feel like a war," he admitted.

"I know," she chuckled wearily. The sound sent a pang through his heart. "But that doesn't change who you are. You have slaughtered thousands of innocents. You have killed people special to me. You abducted me from Crait and have been keeping me prisoner since."

"I haven't kept you prisoner."

"But you have!"

"Would a prisoner have all this?!" he asked, thrusting his hand out at the luxury around them. "If you were my prisoner, you'd still be in the interrogation room, beaten to a bloody pulp, if not dead already!"

"That's exactly it, Kylo!" she said, jumping to her feet. He realized too soon he fell into her verbal trap. "This fancy room only serves to further delude you into thinking that I'm not a prisoner! Let me ask you this," she breathed heavily, trying her best to calm herself down. "Can I leave the ship?"

Kylo Ren wanted to say yes, but he knew he would no sooner let her leave the ship than let her go back to the Resistance.

"No."

"Can I contact the Resistance?"

"No."

"Can I do whatever I want without you telling me what to do instead?"

"Yes!" he exclaimed. "You can!"

"No," Rey said, shaking her head. "I couldn't leave the room for three days—"

"That was because you were still recovering from your injury!"

"Let me finish." She held up her hand. "Did I have a say in whether I wanted to go to Numina with you?"

He thought for a moment, then admittedly shook his head.

"And did I ask you to take me aboard your ship and strap me in a chair?"

Kylo sighed. "No. No, you didn't."

He was basically admitting he was wrong, and after a dozen years of not admitting to anything, this felt unnatural.

"You see? I am your prisoner. Everything I have done is because you have demanded it from me."

"Not everything," Kylo said.

She gave him a sad smile.

"Not everything," she agreed. "And I hate myself for it."

A still silence came amongst the two. It was neither comfortable nor uncomfortable.

"You don't mean that," he finally spoke.

"No," she responded. "I didn't. Like you said, this is my true self, and I can't deny it. I know this is who I am. The only thing I can do is to work my way around it and grow stronger, so that when the day comes—" She looked up into his eyes with a fiery determination. "When the day comes, I will do what I need to do."

He was about to speak, but realized she wasn't done.

"And this connection…when you projected to me in your ship, en route to Kamino. Kylo, what we have isn't normal. This isn't the norm, and the fact that neither of us understand what we share makes it even scarier. What if what we're feeling is dangerous?"

"It isn't," Kylo asserted.

"But how do you know for sure?"

Kylo thought for a moment.

"I don't know for sure, but something that is dangerous can't feel as right as this does. Our connection is one thing, but when we physically touch, it's something else altogether. We are both capable individuals, and if it doesn't feel wrong, then it isn't wrong, especially with your sound logicality."

Rey let out a soft, wet chuckle. "Whatever we share really likes it when we touch." She leaned forward in an attempt to take his hands in hers, but stopped when she saw them.

"Maker! Kylo, what have you done to your hands?!" she blurted out, leaning in closer, her face turning horrified

Kylo yanked his hands back. "It's nothing."

"Nothing, my arse!"

She yanked his wrists to her and he grimaced at how badly they throbbed.

"It's fine," he adamantly stated. "The medical facility is more than enough to treat this."

"You're foolish if you think otherwise," Rey scolded. "You'd need to sit in bacta for endless hours, and Maker knows you have the patience of a child."

Kylo Ren ignored her insults.

"I don't have time for this," he said. "As Supreme Leader—"

"I said no! Stay down, or your hands won't be the only thing that's injured" Rey grabbed his lightsaber and pushed the hilt into his thigh.

He smiled at her fierce display. "You sure have taken a liking to my lightsaber. I reckon you will need one soon enough."

"Do you really mean that?" There was a hitch in Rey's breath as she paused in her examination to stare at him incredulously.

"I will not have you fighting with a commoner's staff, if that's what you're asking. But we must wait and not rush into things."

"Oh…I thought…"

"You thought what?" he asked.

"Nothing." She shook her head and her sullen mood shifted back to concern. The way she was cradling his hands in the smaller palms of hers filled him with a strange warmness. Her eyes were with an intensity he couldn't explain. The last time he had seen the same smoldering, caring look was a rare occasion almost twenty years ago, when he slipped on the rocks at the beach and fell. His parents—

He shut his thoughts down and pushed the guilt back in, so far deep within him that even Snoke had a hard time deciphering him. He didn't even have to focus for long, because something else took him completely off guard and shifted his mind far away from his parents.

A glow of green light emanated from both of Rey's hands and touched his own.

The relief was immediate. Pain disappeared and was replaced with a full moan by him at how sensationally pleasurable the hot energy was. It was like taking a steaming shower after a long day out in the freezing cold. It was like someone had a hundred hands and used all of them to rub out all the tight knots in his muscles.

Rey's hands stayed on him and the green glow continued for a few more minutes before the circular light shrank smaller and smaller until it completely disappeared. Panting, Rey sagged her head, looking a little worse for the wear.

"Give me a second," she weakly bleated. Kylo caught her when she slumped and rested her upright.

"Force healing," he whispered. "It took a lot out of you. We should go to the infirmary."

"It's nothing. I'm just a little lightheaded."

He stared at her flushed, stubborn face. The girl continued to astound him with each and every passing day.

"Where did you learn such a thing?"

At her silence, he asked again.

"Rey?"

She was quiet still, and he wasn't sure whether he had heard or not. Before he could inquire what was going on, he heard her speak in a subdued whisper.

"Kylo?"

He frowned at the sudden change in her tone. "What is it?"

There was a hesitation, in which he knew she was debating on whether voicing whatever was on her mind was a good idea.

Finally, he could tell she made up her mind.

"It's been on my mind since I woke up in the interrogation chamber, but tonight, with everything happening…"

She took a deep breath and brought her hazel eyes to meet his. He could see determination etched in them.

"I always thought…and part of me still wants to believe…but I don't think the medical droids fixed me," she said.

"Then what did?" he asked, a feeling of doom looming from his chest.

Her sweaty face said it all.

"Not what. Who. It was you. You were the one who healed me, weren't you?" she whispered. "All along, it was you."

His response was all that she needed to hear.

"Don't be foolish. Force healing is a light ability," he said flatly.

"I know," Rey said. "But I remember what I learned. When I was fourteen, I traded two week's of portions for holovids on recovery techniques. Bacta is used universally for virtually all injuries, no matter how severe, and in any other case, I would have believed you."

"But?" Kylo Ren asked, tension easing at the sight of how Rey became so animated when she recited education.

"But I was only out for a few hours. My injury is more than just a bundle of missing nerves, muscle fibers, and skin. It was necrotic. Cauterized from your lightsaber. Dead tissue doesn't just come back to life on its own."

"No, it doesn't. That's the bacta's job," he denied.

"Don't play me for a fool, Kylo! Bacta does not turn the dead back to life. The only way I could have completely healed was if there was a higher power at play. This was done by the Force." Her voice dropped to a tentative murmur. "This was done by you."

There was no more point in denying it.

"Fine," Kylo admitted, feeling defensive. "So what?"

"So what?" Rey asked in disbelief. "So what?! This…you said it yourself! Force healing is exclusively a light ability. No dark users should be or can use it. It's impossible…unless…"

"Rey…" he warned.

For the first time since meeting her, Kylo Ren could tell by the widening of her eyes and the shock etched on her face that she was seeing him in a different light.

"You're not as dark you make yourself out to be. There's good in you. Light."

"You are overstepping your boundaries," he heard himself warn.

"I always knew…M—Master Luke said it was too late, but he was wrong. He was wrong all along. But I could sense something else, back when I was on Ahch-To. Our hands touched, and it was like your light guided me to you. You had it in you all along," she emphasized. But then her face fell. "I don't understand. Why hide this, though?"

"Why?" he asked, trying to snuffle out the anger. Rey sensed this and immediately backtracked.

"I'm sorry, Kylo, it's just that…I feel like I _know_ you. Even though we've only just gotten to know each other, it's like I've known you my whole life. I can't explain it. I can read you, and you are well aware of the light inside."

"Even if there is, I do not wish it to be. This is not a subject I wish to discuss."

"But—"

"I said I will not discuss this!" he uttered, voice elevated.

Rey recognized the finality in his voice and refused to bother him anymore, letting her hands slip back into his.

Kylo was secretly relieved when she changed the subject. That path was not one he wanted to go down tonight. He thought he scared her off with his harsh, unrestricted tone, but a tug on his hands suggested otherwise.

"Are your hands better? I don't know how well…how well I healed you. You may still need bacta."

He could feel the tips of her thumbs rubbing tiny circles on the backs of his hands. Her overwhelming concern for him made him unexpectedly soft.

"I'm okay," he said. To reassure her, he brought his right hand up, pausing for a slight moment until he knew it was okay before brushing his knuckles against Rey's left cheek. Her eyes closed at his touch and she gave a little shudder, the only indications she gave that showed his effect on her.

Kylo Ren sighed. The physical touch of their skin was like a soothing melody. With each stroke of his fingers was another tune, solidifying amongst each other until they became an orchestrated masterpiece. The bond between the two hummed its appraisal, glowing inside of him until he felt that he was going to combust with tranquility. He felt every nerve and every fiber of her being. He felt the radiant energy she exuded. He felt _everything_ , and it was exquisite.

"Stay the night with me, Kylo," he heard her whisper. Opening his eyes, he saw her staring back at him, her lips slightly puckered into a small forlorn smile.

He needed no more assertions. She pulled him down to the bed, laying him on his back. He was unsure of where to put his hands, but then felt a slight increase in pressure when her head shifted and laid right in the middle of his chest. Putting his right hand on her back seemed like the right thing to do, and he did so, coming alive with energy at how warm her tiny frame was. Her fingers on her right hand slid up on the fabric of his surcoat and caressed his left one for a few seconds before she slipped her hand into his.

Nothing about this was lustful. There was no carnal tension, no urgent need of sexual gratification. This was two people in desperate need of company—not just any company, but each other.

Kylo Ren slept soundly for the first time in years.


	7. Chapter 7

I'm not too sure why I wrote that the Knights of Ren were not Force-users back in Chapter 4 - regardless, I meant for them to be. I've already gone and changed it, and it should be more understandable as the story progresses as to why they are Force-sensitive.

Here's another chapter! It'll start to pick up after this. Lots of action in the upcoming updates and even a reunion with...with the Resistance.

* * *

Rey woke up.

It took her a few seconds to gather her bearings, and a few more for last night's memory to return to her mind. Last night…everything was so vibrant. She could remember his warm body, slightly smelling of damp body odor from their mock fight. His hand were calloused, hardened over the years of his training, yet she found her fingertips melting in his hand. She was lucky that the nightgown she was wearing came up over her shoulders. If the hand on her back was touching her bare skin…

The coarse fabric of his tunic also had not been the most pleasant to lay her face on, but the rhythmic movements of his chest as he breathed in and out of his slumber was more than enough to lure her to sleep as well.

Rey lifted her fingers up, tracing the memory of Kylo Ren's figure lying in bed next to her. She let out a deep breath and followed it up with an even deeper one when she realized what she was doing. She pushed aside the small feeling of disappointment.

The sheets that he had laid on were cold, symbolizing his departure from her room at least an hour ago. She raised herself off the bed, squirming in uncertainty.

She was unaware of what time it was, given the enclosure of her room, but she estimated that it was already morning.

Her bare feet slushed through the carpet and stopped at the foot of the sink in the refresher. Rey began to brush her teeth, her mind in shambles.

After yesterday, she didn't know who she was anymore. She felt lost, uncertain about her role in life. The thin line separating right and wrong had begun to already blur, and after last night, it was dangerously close to vanishing. She could barely visibly see it anymore; in her mind, it was nothing but a single, thin strand threatened to be swallowed by the sides it distinguished. In her mind, she was loyal to the Resistance. But her heart was another story.

She rinsed her mouth and dried it before stepping in the shower. After, she slipped into her nightgown again.

The droid delivered her breakfast not long after she selected her usual, but she had no appetite. Last night was a mistake. Human hearts were fragile, and any disruption from its homeostasis led to vulnerabilities that furthermore led to mistakes.

Then why did she feel so conflicted? Rey thought to herself. As much as she didn't want to admit it, Kylo did have a valid point. If their kiss felt so perfect and _right_ , then did it really mean that it was wrong? Was it really a mistake?

It was a war between her emotional state and her mentality. Except this war was all internal.

Rey wiped her mouth and had the droid take the plates away. Getting on her knees, she pulled out a small lump from under her bed.

The First Order were all entitled to their own predilections and opinions. Not really caring about what others thought of her anymore, she slipped on her old, washed clothes and fingered the material, sighing at how nostalgic it felt. She missed this, her old self. Before she was tangled in this messy war. She was far hungrier back then, but at least she had her solitude.

It felt like forever ago.

After the display on the main deck of the Finalizer, Rey doubted anyone would bother her anymore. Help from Kylo Ren had established her as a member of the First Order, but to skeptics she was a third party, loyal to neither side. She was gray. No one would care if she wandered the ship alone.

Still, it wouldn't be bad to have a weapon in case things got ugly.

Rey found herself retracing her steps from last night back to the training room. Before long, the door slid open. Lights automatically turned on as they detected her light footsteps in the room.

Rey gasped. Her weapon from last night lay somewhere on the floor, but it would be enormously difficult to locate the staff given the scattered remains of dozens of training droids. Each carcass, obliterated into tiny pieces, lay strewn on the floor like a mass of floating debris in space. Navigating the mess would take precision, and Rey winced in pain when her boot crunched on circuitry.

Scouring the floor was a meticulous effort. Rey hesitated to go too fast and skip over it. But then she saw the glint of steel that was of a slightly different shade than the hue of the demolished droids. She pounced on it, gripping one end of it and dragging it out from under the suffocation.

Her back was to the door, and she was so invested in reuniting with the staff that she didn't hear another person enter the room. That is, until they spoke.

"The sand rat."

Rey spun around. Across from her on the other side of the room stood a figure adorned in dark clothes. A large glossy black cloak with waffle weaves draped over their shoulders and dangled down to their ankles, where two small, black utility boots peeked from out under.

"Who are you?" she asked, her voice sounding a lot braver than she was.

The person spoke behind their helmet again, and Rey realized with a start that the voice actually belonged to a female. Maybe it was the same female he was on the shutle with. Her stomach churned.

"Who I am makes no difference. I merely exist to serve the Supreme Leader."

Rey's mouth went dry.

"You're a Knight of Ren," she said.

If introductions could dictate fear, then this was it. Rey had heard about Kylo Ren's so called Knights of Ren. Relentless killing machines who mercilessly slaughtered and soullessly obeyed their master's orders…some people called them fiction, and others walking death. What they touched never survived.

The woman unveiled her hood and revealed a helmet much simpler than Kylo Ren's. Hers was simply an oval black piece of thin metal with only one slit that ran from one corner of the top of her ear to the other for her eyes.

"That's correct, scavenger," she said.

Given her body language, she did not view Rey in a promising light. And yet, Rey valued her pride over her safety so much more so that she couldn't keep herself quiet.

"I'm really not in the mood to be called scavenger or desert rat anymore. My name is _Rey._ "

The stranger smirked. This was the last thing Rey saw before her head split out in pain.

Rey gave a short cry and collapsed to her knee. Her head was coming apart, compressing together from the energy that the Knight put into her mental attack. She could feel her invisible hands bypassing into her conscious and probing deeper and deeper. The only time she had ever experienced this was from Kylo Ren when she was captured on Takodana, and this familiar sensation, although executed gentler than Kylo's attack, was nonetheless painful.

She could sense the Knight pouring deeper and deeper, trespassing into her personal space. Rey could feel her memories being ripped and analyzed—her times with Luke on Ahch-To, her experiences with Chewie and the rest of the Resistance…even a few nights where she cried herself to sleep on Jakku—were all made available for her to see.

"Stop it," she grit out, her voice weak. But the Knight didn't listen. If anything, her plea served as stimulant for her to push even deeper. Rey saw her view memories of her distaste with Plutt and her meeting the legendary Han Solo. And she was powerless to stop her.

Until the Knight pushed too far.

Rey felt her probe to the deepest extent of her brain, to the memories she fought so hard to suppress. She sensed memories of Kylo Ren being pushed to the surface, and her stomach dropped as fear overtook her senses. If the Knight discovered their kisses…if she discovered the murder of Snoke…

 _No!_ Rey internally screamed. Her fear grew too large and blossomed into a ball of dark energy and exploded inside her, forcefully expelling the Knight away from her mind. She saw the Knight go flying backwards, landing on her back with a rough 'oof'.

Rey didn't know how she did it. How she managed to channel the Force and expel the Knight away from her. She did the same with Kylo, but there were dynamic differences. She was so inexperienced at the time that she wasn't aware of the energy flowing in her as she pushed Kylo's mind-reading back into him, but now she did and she did not like it; it scared her. The energy that stemmed from her fear was dark. It was primal, perched on its feet and ready to act. Ready to maim.

The Knight recovered and stood on her feet.

"Not bad. I expected a lot less."

"Who are you?" Rey asked. She was still tense. As far as she knew, only she and Kylo were Force-users; to suddenly discover another made her wonder if the other Knights of Ren were also Force-sensitive. All of a sudden, the chances of the Resistance winning the war felt slimmer and slimmer.

"You already know who I am. A Knight of Ren."

The Knight flourished her cloak to the side. Rey caught the flash of a metal hilt under the scrutinizing light and she gulped.

"I didn't realize there were any females," Rey said, her voice steadily calm. Inside though, was a whole different story. Rey made sure to keep her staff at the ready, bracing herself for either a physical or another mental attack.

The Knight spoke, "I'm the only one that's been with the Supreme Leader since the start, when all of us were apprentices to Snoke."

"And the others?"

"They were killed. Two by Snoke, and two in battle."

"Battle?"

The Knight slipped off her outer robe to reveal a gray under robe. From under this robe, she protruded two small blades that Rey recognized on the weapon rack from yesterday.

"Kylo Ren was always Snoke's favorite. That, and combined with him being the strongest Force user promoted him to Master of the Knights of Ren. A promotion that I readily accepted after he took the position of Supreme Leader."

"And why are you here?"

"You don't know? I am here to play a game."

"A game?" Rey repeated.

"It's simple. We fight, and you try to stay alive."

Rey's hands tightened on her staff. That was the last thing she had been hoping would happen, but it seemed like her efforts were in vain.

"Supreme Leader sees something of value in you. I fail to see what it is," the Knight said. She walked past Rey and to the spotless training floor.

"What Kylo thinks is none of your business," she retorted, feeling a sudden need to defend Kylo.

The Knight of Ren stared at her for a moment before gesturing with her hand.

"Come."

"Why?" Rey asked.

"You certainly have a lot of questions," the female Knight tsked. "Hesitancy can get you killed in war."

"Like you would know about playing victim." Some of the fear was replaced by anger at the Knight's nonchalant display.

"And that is why you don't see me hesitating," she said, her voice still modulated from the helmet. "Now _come_ and show me what you, a little scavenger from Jakku, can do."

Rey found her feet moving of their own wills. She followed the unnamed stranger to the black floor, taking the same position as she had against Kylo yesterday.

"Just so you know," the Knight said, "You have no lightsaber and I do. Hardly a fair fight."

She unstrapped her weapon and Force-tossed it into the weapon rack. Returning her attention back to Rey, she disengaged the blades from the hooks on her coat. She bent her knees and held her elbows up with a karambit in each hand.

"In battle, the tips are coated in poison. You are lucky you won't get to experience that."

Rey pivoted her foot. Adrenaline took ahold of her and refused to let her go. "I don't believe in luck. There is only one power and that is the Force."

The voice behind the helmet chuckled, "Typical. I heard you trained in this room already."

"And if I did?"

"I was just wondering exactly how much of the room's _assets_ you used." The Knight clicked her foot on the floor in a rhythmic fashion.

Rey felt the ground shake before she saw it move.

"What the—"

The floor that they were standing on, where white met black, suddenly detached from the same elevation that they were merged together in. The black training floor suddenly launched itself upward, and Rey had to unexpected lower herself on one knee to match the shaky, gravitational force that was threatening to throw her off the edge.

The floor continued rising until they were far above from the ground below. Rey took a chance and peered over the side. Big mistake. Her head grew dizzy at how small the weapon rack was. If she fell from here, she would be seriously maimed. There was no doubt about it.

The platform rumbled again, and if she thought the surprise was over, she was wrong. The flat surface they were on began distorting itself, morphing into small and large lumps left and right that obscured part of her vision. They formed miniature mountains and miniature valleys wide enough for just two people to squeeze through, and at some intersections, only one. She could no longer see the Knight.

Rey did some quick calculations. She was at a severe disadvantage. Her staff was a lengthy one, and it would be very difficult to hold the weapon perpendicular to her body. The only way she could attack is if she held her weapon parallel in front of her.

On the other hand, the environment was perfect for her opponent. All she had was two knives, and there was more than enough room for her to swing and attack.

Rey heard the Knight's voice. It was raised, yet still sounded far off from all the obstacles and synthetic terrain around them.

"Here I come!"

Rey didn't know what to do. There were three paths for her to take. It was like being trapped in a large maze.

She selected the most open path—the left one—and ran into it. A few seconds passed where all she could hear were her footsteps, and then suddenly, she wasn't alone.

The Knight appeared in front of her as quickly as she could blink. Rey was astounded by her agility, and had to block her attack by lifting the staff to her face. Even still, she was not able to escape a tiny corner of her attack.

The blade felt hot against her skin of her bicep and she gasped, stumbling back. Her instincts brought her uninjured arm to cradle her injury and examine it. A thin line, the length of her pinky, spread across from one end to the other. A moment later, red began to well.

Something about seeing her own blood set her off. Rey had never bled. Not during her years on Jakku, not during her fight against the First Order. Never had she bled. The hot liquid trickling down her arm was like lava, and instead of weakening her, it strengthened her.

Oh, the stinging was sensational _._

Rey hissed, savoring the moment. She gripped her staff, giving it a small twirl before holding it parallel to her arm and pointing it at her opponent. She lunged forward, stabbing forward with the tip of the staff.

"You missed," the Knight taunted, standing a few paces away from her, having dodged her attack. She smirked, the only sign Rey received, before disappearing again.

The fight continued. Rey pressed forward. The mountains were small enough to fit in the training room, yet too big to scale without the proper gear. She had to continue to push forward, swinging by the mounds and ignoring the valleys. Having a ground disadvantage was just about the closest thing a person could do to openly surrendering.

 _Behind me!_

Rey twisted around, raising her staff just in time to deflect the sharp scrape of one of the Knight's karambits. Rey pulled the staff closer to her, and because the Knight had a firm grip on the karambit, which had a slight curve to it, it latched on.

Losing her balance, the Knight came tumbling toward Rey. She stepped to the side, pushing her staff forward to release the pressure of the karambit's hold. Her next intention was to pummel the Knight's back from above with the tip of her staff, and she did just this. However, her staff was met with sudden resistance when it stopped just shy of the Knight's back. One of her arms had twisted behind her and the other karambit had caught the staff, preventing Rey from driving it down anymore. It had to have taken impossible strength, and if the Knight had miscalculated the energy needed to stop Rey's attack, the back of her blade would have been driven into her clothes and possibly her spinal cord.

Surprise at her defense caused Rey to loosen her grip on her staff, and the Knight used this to her advantage. She twisted the karambit and yanked Rey's staff out of her grip and flung it over her head, where it hit the surface of the terrain with a dull thud.

Spinning back around, she bent her knees and held her knives up.

"You have no weapon," she sneered.

Rey was trapped. There was a wall behind her and the only way forward was through the knight. The mounds were too tall to be scaled.

Her worry gave away to a plan. She was in a situation like this before, when she and Kylo were fighting in Snoke's throne room. What had she done then?

Rey pressed the bottom of her right boot against the wall behind her.

The Knight roared and surged forward. At the same time, Rey pushed off at an angle that sent her toward the flat surface of the path they were on. The Knight was taken off guard as she slid into her legs, knocking her off balance.

Rey heard the Knight curse, but she knew it was only a matter of time before she recovered. Running over to staff, she picked it back up.

"That doesn't mean it's over."

"Hmph." The Knight took one calculating look at her and then sprang up with such finesse that she disappeared over a mound. Something Rey could never do.

"Are you going to find me?" she heard. It sounded like the voice was coming at her from the left. Rey's non-dominant side.

"What are you waiting for? Find me! Attack me!" the voice rang out again.

At her words, Rey paused. What sounded like a taunt actually was a tactical advantage. When Rey did get into a fight, she did have a tendency to act rash and charge it. There was no finesse in her fighting. It was all a clumsy mess of limbs swinging.

Obviously, the Knight would not attempt to face her head-on for a prolonged period of time; she needed the element of surprise. The blades she held were made for close-quarter combat, but Rey's staff was too bulky to slip past. This Knight scaled off of sneak attacks, and she wouldn't fall for the same tricks again. But how would she win in this environment?

"What are you waiting for?!" she repeated.

"No!" Rey answered. The response seemed to surprise her, and Rey could actually picture in her head the Knight's body language as she did a double-take.

"No?" she repeated.

"I know how to win. I won't attack you."

The Knight said, "So be it."

There was a few moments of silence. The lights dimmed above her, shadowed by something, and Rey noticed this just in the nick of time. The Knight was high in the air, having jumped off the peak of a small mound. Her arms were perpendicular to her body. Rey contemplated for a split second.

The Knight crashed down, missing with her right but striking with her left. Rey managed to deliberately dodge the brunt of the attack but this time, she allowed herself to get sliced again. Oh, the pain was pleasurable. Her life matter oozing out awakened the Force in her.

And it was angry.

Rey raised her arm and called upon the Force. A burst of power so strong that it ricocheted on the terrain and made an explosive sound burst out of her being and literally caused the Knight to fly, coming to a stop right before she hit Rey's unwavering gaze.

"Let go of me!" the Knight struggled. Rey could feel a disturbance with her Force, as if there was something countering it. But hers was stronger, augmented by the thrill of being in a fight with a stranger.

Rey dropped her hand, but the Knight remained in her frozen hold. For the first time in Rey's life, she had done something dramatically new with the Force.

The walls reverberated with the sound of Rey's scream as she lashed out with the staff and collided with the Knight's shins with it so that her opponent buckled on both knees and sank to the ground in defeat.

Rey pointed her staff at the helmet.

"Take off your helmet," she growled. "I want to see the face behind the mask."

"This fight isn't over!" the Knight spat. She lifted her blades, but winced in pain when a pair of boots kicked them out of her hands.

"Yes, it is," Rey affirmed.

The Knight stared at her for a split second before unsteeling Rey's demeanor by chuckling. "You are full of surprises."

Adhering to Rey's command, her nimble hands approached the helmet. There was a detaching sound, and then the helmet clinked on the floor when the Knight set it down.

Sleek platinum hair curled from their confines and rolled down to the Knight's waist. Her eyes were of even lighter color, a pale silver that was so striking Rey felt like they were staring into her soul. She had alabaster white skin, thin colorless lips, and a neck so slender that Rey knew most of the clothes she was wearing was bulky and hiding her thin frame underneath. It was hard to believe she was human.

No wonder the Knights of Ren wore masks. If they didn't, then there would be no productivity amongst the personnel.

"It was a good fight. You put up a much greater fight than I'd expected."

"Who are you?"

"I'm Sula. And you're Lady Rey." When she spoke, her lips barely parted.

" _Lady?_ " Rey stressed, taken by surprise. Part of her acknowledged the title Sula addressed her by her cheeks turning pink, and the other part was confusion, but there was also a third party; something wasn't right. She had her suspicions.

"Wait a minute. This was all a test, wasn't it?"

"That's correct," Sula said, getting to her feet. She tapped something off to the side and the platform began morphing back to its flat surface and sinking. This time Rey was prepared for it and she didn't have to concentrate on not toppling over.

"Seriously?!"

Sula waited until the room was back to normal before smiling softly.

"You passed with flying colors."

"Let me guess. The _Supreme Leader_."

Sula nodded once and called over her lightsaber to her. Rey flinched, ready to accept the worst, but she was proven wrong as the Knight simply attached the weapon to her belt.

"And why would the Supreme Leader commission this so-called test?" Rey asked, growing aggravated again. _Lady Rey_. Maker.

Sula shrugged. "It's something you'd have to ask him yourself. Your injuries—are they okay?"

Rey completely forgot. She tilted her head down and saw that although they were no longer bleeding, the lines were still thin and raw, pulsing as if they had a life of their own.

She flexed. "Yeah, I'm okay."

"You could always use your Force healing," Sula suggested.

"Force healing? How did you know about that?"

"Everyone knows about Jedis and their skills. To be on the edge of bringing someone back from the dead…it isn't something a user on the Dark Side could do. The Supreme Leader tells me you are an adept Force-user."

Sula checked her wrist.

"Time passed quickly. Supreme Leader requests my attention, and you are to come along."

"Numina?" Rey asked, watching as Sula put on her helmet. "Sula, can you go by without wearing that thing?"

The woman stared at her.

"If that is what Lady Rey requests."

"Rey. Just _Rey_."

Sula tucked her helmet under her arm and opened the exit door, gesturing for Rey to leave first. Rey still wasn't comfortable on turning her back to the enemy, but she realized with a heavy heart that the Knight did not relent. She walked forward, her hand firmly gripped on her staff and her feet ready to turn at a moment's whim.

But an attack did not happen. Sula brushed past her, and grabbed her hand. The touch threw Rey off by surprise. She was not used to making contact with anyone, especially after an hour of learning about their existence. In her entire life, she had gone by with only a few individuals she was comfortable around to hold. Yet, it didn't feel so bad, and she let it slide.

"Let's go."

Sula dragged Rey to the main cabin, much to her protests. The area was busier than Rey had last remembered it, a testimony to how serious the First Order was taking Damesh. Officers of different status alike rushed in and out of the main cabin. There was an endless chatter as the Finalizer communications crew made contact with whoever they were contacting with, which turned into hushed whispers when they took a look at Rey and Sula. And on the bridge was…

"Sula. You know the rules."

"Yes, Supreme Leader!" Sula complied, placing the helmet on her head. Rey's heart sank. Sula was still the same person, but it was disconcerting, seeing her face hidden behind a mask that symbolized nothing but ruination.

"Rey." Kylo's gaze flitted to her injuries and he hissed. Rey realized this and brought her arms up to cover them, but it was too late.

"Kylo!" she shouted, but it was useless. The Supreme Leader's Force grip pushed Sula against the wall, choking her.

"I gave you explicit orders to _not_ harm her!" he said, squeezing tighter. The helmet on Sula's head dampened sympathy that may have manifested in Rey, but when she thought about the face behind the mask a second later, she jumped to her defense.

"Kylo!" she shouted again, standing in front of him as a blockade and diverting his attention to her. His _orders_? "Enough! It's only a surface injury!"

"She injured you!"

"I can't have you choking everyone who displeases you. Let her go! Wasn't it your idea of a test anyways?"

At her words, he paused. Sula slid down the wall, crumpling to a heap on the ground. She took off her helmet, her hair tousled, and began wheezing for air.

Rey ran to her and took her hands. Her eyes were full of an unspoken apology, and she could tell that Sula understood that by the tiny tilt of her head.

After making sure her health was in no immediate danger, Rey turned her attention back to Kylo.

"I am so done with your cruel, jurisdictive ways!"

"I am the Supreme Leader!" Kylo yelled.

"She is a member of your own legion! You can't punish your own Knight like that! How will they remain loyal to you?" she argued

"It is my duty to punish as I see fit!"

"It is your duty to deliver punishment when it is _appropriate_ , not when you see fit! Maker, you really are a stubborn arse, aren't you?"

A First Order officer approached the three of them warily, uncertain of how to proceed. Neither Rey nor Kylo said anything, and the officer took this as a sign to speak.

"Supreme Leader, we are awaiting your orders," he said, voice timid.

Rey was going to answer on behalf of him in case Kylo decided to lose his temper and choke another innocent person, but before she could, Sula, somewhat recovered, waved him off with a, "Thank you."

"I am having second doubts about taking you to Numina," Kylo suddenly admitted. Sula stood nearby, and Rey knew she could hear every word in their conversation. "If I don't take you, then the entire First Order will know that my trust in you is not as engrained as I made it out to be. There is danger that may await us, and I do not want to put you into that scenario. That, and especially so after an extensive check on your injuries."

"As you made it out to be!" Rey laughed. "Maker, Kylo, are you really the Supreme Leader or just a child? You're more concerned about undermining your own authority than me returning to the Resistance!"

Kylo sneered. "Do not bring them up. They are nothing. The Resistance has ceased all forms of communication."

Rey balled her fists. "You fail to see things from my point of view. I was almost looking forward to getting off this ship. I need air, Kylo. Being held here against my will also doesn't help."

There was a pause.

"You don't mean that," he said, flatly.

Rey sighed.

"No, Kylo, I don't," she admitted. "But at the same time, I don't want to be floating in space forever."

"And you won't."

"Why are you so adamant on this? You can't seriously tell me you're worried about me running away. Isn't there enough security on me with you and your Knights?" she scoffed. "I remember your order. Just you and me on Numina, no one else."

"The Knights are not there to glue their eyes on you."

At his confession, her demeanor changed.

"What do you mean?" she asked, slightly sheepish at her forward assumptions.

Sula piped up.

"The First Order's informants in Rost managed to weedle out some words thrown around in the Sore Child. The city's main bar," Sula explained at Rey's addled expression. "Damesh and his men are planning to make a run for it soon. We're not sure exactly what they have in mind, but whatever it is, it'll be big."

"You could have just listened to Hux and have a fleet of Stormtroopers at your disposal. After all, isn't that what you're used to?" Rey sneered, overcome with a spiteful nature.

Kylo waved her off, but it was Sula who spoke.

"The Supreme Leader hates Hux."

"Sula," Kylo warned.

"So I've noticed," Rey said dryly.

"I apologize, Supreme Leader." Sula turned to Rey. "But a new change in scenery would be beneficial for Lady Rey, wouldn't it?"

"Jakku was a giant sand wasteland. Even the populated areas were nothing more than little settlements. I've never been in a city before," Rey hummed, ignoring her formal addressment.

"Don't get your hopes up."

"Why?"

Kylo answered her.

"Calling it a city is easier, but the place is more like a village than anything else. The environment is far more primitive than real cities. Mud and dirt buildings, with only a few that are anything but. Shabby clothes, shabby technology, shabby lifestyles. It's a tough place to grow up in."

"Why transport ships there?"

"Numina is renowned for their oil. It's a haven for fuel. Almost all of their economy is based off it. But Rost is a terrible place to live. The standard of living could be better for them, but the high officials there have control of everything. Economy, finances…the villager's lives are in their hands," Sula chirped.

"Why not do something about it? The First Order, of anyone I've ever seen, have the highest advances."

"We do not occupy ourselves with the problems of the weak," Kylo input.

"That's—"

Sula interrupted her.

"That's the reason why the general population despises us so. Given the transport ships, they can tell we have the resources to help them usurp. It's a simple city-led government district. Outside the city, the high officials have no jurisdiction. It would be an easy in, easy out job, and that's why our standings with them are far from amicable, because we refuse."

"They cannot do anything about it either," Kylo inserted. "As they learned the hard way."

"B—But that's wrong!" Rey spluttered. "How easy it would be for the First Order to just lend a helping hand and let it be done with!"

"Balance must be obtained. If the weak is truly weak, then they will stay weak. Strength is earned, not given."

Rey shook her head. "Unbelievable." Whenever he talked like that, things were hopeless. She wouldn't be able to get through to him like this.

"I called the two of you here for separate reasons. Sula."

"Yes, Supreme Leader!"

"I am placing you in command of the Finalizer until further notice. Keep us in orbit until tomorrow. I have a task I must preoccupy myself with this evening." Kylo's eyes shifted to Rey and she felt herself squirm under his gaze.

If Sula thought the command was strange, she did not voice it. Instead, she gave a firm nod.

"Good. You are dismissed."

The air was clogged with thick silence until the sound of Sula's boots faded from their hearing.

"Walk with me, Rey," Kylo voiced. He began to move and Rey followed, wondering what was going on.

The two of them walked away from the center deck and toward a new hallway Rey was unfamiliar with. Butterflies swam in her stomach. She wasn't sure where they were going. Was it another training room? Why did Kylo want to be alone with her? Her eyes widened. Maybe he wanted privacy to discuss what happened between the two of them yesterday. Maybe—

"Relax. Your mind is in shambles and projecting."

Rey's thoughts were jolted out of a reverie and she found Kylo firmly staring at her.

"Maybe you wouldn't hear my _shambling_ if I learned how to protect my mind."

Kylo hummed. "I take it Sula tested you this morning."

"Tested!" Rey blew up in his face and Force-spun him around. Kylo growled at her manipulation but she stood her ground.

"You insensitive _arse_!" she shouted, taking two steps forward. "And to think that I thought you were even slightly concerned about my wellbeing!"

"You will not raise your voice to me!" Kylo barked.

Rey glared at him.

"The test was done as part of your training. You were under no real danger."

"She is a Force-user and got into my head!"

"So?"

Rey grit her teeth and tried her hardest to reel herself in. She was so angry that she wanted to punch him in the face.

"You realize she could have seen us both at the _throne room_."

"I was not worried. I had solid faith that you would be able to reject her advances in the same manner you did to me after I captured you on Takodana."

Rey paused, his words instantly snuffing out her anger. "You knew."

"Of course. As someone who trains in the Dark, I could sense your fear. You utilized it to your advantage."

"I'm not proud of that," Rey said. "I don't know what or how I did what I did, but it is not something I am proud of."

"But you should be. You have never received proper training on how to build walls around your memories. And yet you flushed Sula out even when she was giving it all. Granted, she is the weakest mind-invading Force-user, but to deal with her as successfully as you did was no easy task."

Rey huffed, her cheeks beginning to betray her again.

"I don't want to use this. As much as I want to protect my mind, I don't want to do it this way."

"Your first defense mechanism was to utilize the darkness inside you as a tool for retaliation. It was a subconscious decision by your mentality to do so. This, out of anything, speaks the truth of who you are inside. You may see it as hindrance, but I assure you: it is not something to be ashamed of."

Rey's heart sank. He was right. She had never learned to mentally protect herself, and if the first form of defense she gave was a skill that stemmed from the dark side, then…

"No," she whispered.

"It is a much stronger method, befitting for a strong individual as yourself. You will understand momentarily why it is necessary," Kylo said. He gave her a small smile to appease the whirlwind of thoughts inside Rey, but it failed.

They stopped at a door. Kylo waved his hand on the scanner and it opened. He gestured for Rey to enter first, and she did so with a sinking feeling.

Rey's mind immediately flitted to the worst at the sight of Kylo Ren's quarters, but she hardly had any time to wrap her head at the thought of something bad happening. Her brain bypassed digesting the furnishings in the room, for there was one focal point that gleamed in its own right and dulled the surroundings around her.

On the ground in the middle of the room, splintered into small pieces, were the remains of the hilt of her blue lightsaber. And in the midst of it all was a glowing blue crystal.

Rey's mouth opened but no sound came out. Kylo's voice filled the void.

"You will not go into Numina unprotected. I was not expecting this day to occur so soon, but it is time to make your own weapon."


	8. Chapter 8

"What is this, Kylo?" Rey breathed. Her eyes refused to tear themselves away from the object's cluttered mass littered on the floor. There was a faint aura glowing from the kyber crystal that shrouded the room in not only a dim blue light, but a warm fuzzy sensation. Rey blinked. There were a lot of memories with the weapon.

"You really don't know?" she heard him ask.

Rey clenched her fists and ripped her eyes from the lightsaber and placed her attention on him instead.

"N—No, I understand. But I thought—"

"You thought this lightsaber was lost."

Rey gave a meek nod of her head.

"I collected it after the battle on Crait. It had fallen into a state of disrepair, so I dismantled it and took it with me. Something tells me you would want to see it again."

"I—thank you," she murmured. Part of her agreed to Kylo's words—the weapon was a firm camaraderie and served her well in her training and the expulsion of the Praetorian guards. But the history of the hilt and crystal was not one she wished to linger her mind on.

"I mentioned that it would be ideal for you to have your own weapon, for protection. The topic is even more pressing given our descent into Numina tomorrow."

"And you honestly trust me not to cut through your legions of First Order officers to escape? Or, for that matter, you yourself?"

Kylo smiled, and Rey felt herself mirroring him.

"No, Rey. As much as I know a part of you will always wish to be free from the First Order, the bond tells me otherwise. That much I know."

Rey's smile slowly drooped. She hadn't thought about their situation, much less pondered on any direction the Force was pushing her toward. But she tore her mind away from this controversial matter and forced another smile that did not reach her eyes.

"So, how do I go about building my own lightsaber?"

"Well," Kylo answered, plopping onto the ground and propping one of his knees up and resting an elbow on it. "There is heavy meditation involved, to your distaste. I know how impatient you can get."

"Impatient? Me?!" Rey incredulously asked. "You sure are quite the one to talk."

Rey followed suit, easing herself toward the ground, except her resting position was with both of her knees pointed to the ground and her feet tucked in underneath her behind. Her reticence was being replaced by excitement—joy at the aspect of learning such a craft. And when was the last time she could add something to the list of what she called hers?

"First, you must decide the style of your hilt and design of your blade."

Well, that was easy.

"Staff," she blurted. "I want it to be like the staff I have now."

"I thought as much. You will want a double-bladed weapon."

Rey looked at the blue kyber crystal. It didn't look like much. She wasn't sure whether it would be enough to power both sides of her blade.

"Are you sure we can forge it out of this?"

"The size of the kyber crystal is not correlative to the size and mass of your lightsaber," Kylo answered shrewdly. "It is the energy that is put into forging it. One that you can channel and direct into the crystal itself. Your lightsaber will be an extension of your own body."

Rey nodded her head, eager to hear more.

"The creation of your blade should never feel forced. Jedi and Sith have both known to take days, and some even weeks, before they complete the construction of their blades."

"Somehow I can't see them doing it within the confines of their own quarters," Rey joked.

"No. Usually in caves. Kyber crystals are native to Ilum, a planet in the Unknown Regions. We have no time to make such a strenuous journey."

"If what you say about it taking weeks to forge one's lightsaber is true, then what makes you think I can build mine by tomorrow?"

"Because," Kylo pursued. "I have never seen a Force-user with as much determination as you."

Whatever response Rey was expecting, it was not that. She found herself suddenly avoiding his piercing gaze and looking anywhere in the room but him.

"Your cheeks betray you."

Rey huffed, refusing to let his continue verbal assault affect her anymore, but it was hard.

"Do you have any more questions?"

"Yes," she said, directing her focus back to the topic at hand.

"Of course you do."

Rey ignored his casual remark.

"Why do Jedis have green or blue lightsabers and Force-users like you have red ones?"

"Not all Jedi have green or blue lightsabers. There was a powerful Jedi Force-user in the past, back when the Republic still stood—his name was Mace Windu. He had a purple lightsaber."

" _Purple?_ "

Kylo chuckled at her mortified expression.

"What do you have against purple lightsabers?"

"Nothing!" Rey spewed, turning defensive. "It's just…well…it's purple! I thought colors were more confined to the most common hues."

"That's not always the case. The crystal usually abides by the light or darkness in your heart, but purity is also another factor that comes into play. Ahsoka Tano…she had white lightsabers."

"White."

"Yes. But that is a story for another time. We will focus on the basics first. If you choose to modify your crystal down the road because of your distaste toward its color or the hilt that it is embedded in, we can."

"Do people do that often?"

Kylo shook his head. A few of his strands of hair came loose and washed over the side of his face, obscuring one of his eyes. The dark strands danced for a few seconds before they came to a rest. Rey gulped as his marred features seemed even more amplified in this dim room with only the blue kyber crystal illuminating the two of them. Her stomach swam with a certain unease.

"Often times, being filled with the knowledge that the crystal itself can determine the Force residing in you to be light or dark is more than enough to deter anyone from changing the status quo."

Rey nodded fervently, and then she remembered her earlier question.

"And your lightsaber…it's red because you are dark?"

"Yes. Red is a universal symbol of the dark side. However, the uncontrollable energy that bursts from my blade tends to come from the crystal itself—mine is cracked, and because of that, the Force inside it is unstable and cannot be contained in the form of bright steady beams like a usual lightsaber."

"If red is that symbolic, then…would it be possible for the crystal to change colors to blue or green? Given a change of heart by the lightsaber's owner."

She saw him flinch, and instantly regretted her decision to ask him such a sensitive question. Although she tried to make it seem like a generalized, they both knew that it was directed at him.

"I'm sorry," she backtracked. "I shouldn't have said anything."

Kylo lifted his head and a small gasp left her lips at the sight of the expression in his eyes. They didn't have their usual brown gleam to them. Instead, they had opened and emptied into an endless void that pushed all the emotions to the forefront.

Suffering. Guilt. Anger. Sadness. Desolation. But mostly guilt.

"Kylo," Rey breathed. She didn't want to say that she knew, but oh, she knew. There was a tiny voice inside her head that told her why he felt this way.

"It's okay," she continued, trying to ameliorate things.

Saying those words caused him to snap.

"It's okay?" he repeated. "It's _okay?!_ " He got to his feet and leered menacingly at Rey.

"Kylo!" she spewed, standing up as well.

She had to do something. She could feel him losing his edge. She could feel as his anger grew and grew and threatened to drag him down under. She could feel him starting to lose himself.

So Rey did the only thing she could. She took two steps forward and leaned up on her tiptoes and planted a firm kiss on lips.

It was only the second time they had kissed, but it was no different from the first. In fact, it was as if with each passing second that they didn't kiss, their tension grew. A deep pit of longing inserted itself inside her chest and she felt the exhilarating shocks and tingles that perpetuated from their connected lips down through her neck and to every corner of her body. Her legs became wobbly and she started to tremble on her tiptoes, but the movement was stabilized when one of Kylo's muscular arms wrapped around her waist and drew her closer into him.

Rey let out a squeak at the contact. Her mouth opened and Kylo's tongue instantly darted inside, triggering a similar response of her own. It touched hers and gently eased its way until it lay rested on top before Rey decided that there was no way in stars that she would just sit still and miss out on all the desire. She crammed her tongue into his mouth, growling like a feral animal. This spurned Kylo on, and the two of them remained in a wrestling match with their tongues for what seemed like ages.

Filled with content after a dance with eternity, and through the vibrant hum in their connection, Rey could sense his anger begin to reside. Deciding to be the responsible one first was difficult on a whole level of its own, but Rey somehow managed to muster up the self-control to pull herself away from Kylo.

The response as her brain caught up to their situation was similar to that when they had finished their heated session in the training room. Rationality crashed down upon her and Rey was just about to open her mouth in speechless guilt, but she stopped herself when hit with a sudden revelation. Her legs were wobbly and the spot below her stomach was on _fire_ and virtually throbbing for him.

If something felt this right, then was it really wrong?

For once since meeting Kylo, Rey shut down her brain. She shut down her conscious train of thought and focused not on what was _supposed_ to be right, but what she perceived as right—her connection with Kylo.

"Maker, that was more intense than the first time," she said, panting heavily. She didn't wait for a response, and instead, took his hand and pulled the unstruggling Kylo Ren back down to the floor.

"Can we start building my lightsaber now?" Rey asked, moving her hand across the pieces on the floor.

There was no answer.

Rey lifted her head up to see Kylo with a deer-in-the-headlights look.

"You kissed me," he said.

"Yes."

"No, I mean, you kissedme. Not me, but _you_."

The Force pushed her forward and Rey smiled. "As long as it will get you to behave, then I'm all for it."

With the deliverance of her sudden banter, the old Kylo was back. His elated stare vanished and a cockier one took its place.

"Do not forget that I am still your Master, and you my apprentice."

The bond was stronger than it had ever been, fueled by their recent kiss and the chain of events from last night, and Rey found herself feeling the dire need to be as snarky as she could.

"Of course, _Master_ ," she purred, letting the last word roll off her tongue like the finest dessert.

She saw Kylo's throat bob up and down as he swallowed and she internally smirked to herself while keeping an impasse expression on her face.

"So," she said, looking down and pretending to be nonchalant. "How do I go about building my lightsaber?"

"Right," he said, and Rey couldn't help but smile at how unsteady his voice sounded. Kylo took a few steadying breaths and eased himself back into a stony-faced appearance.

"As I mentioned earlier, the lightsaber should feel like an extension of your own body, as if you have had an extra limb throughout your whole life. The first thing you need to do is build your anchorage."

"And how do I go about doing that?"

"Patience, my apprentice. You will be focusing on your kyber crystal. In the meantime, I will work on the hilt, so that when you are done meditating, your weapon will be ready. All you will need is to insert the crystal inside."

Rey smiled. Leave it to Kylo to deal with conveniency. She was also secretly pleased that he was helping her. That way, every time she used the lightsaber, she would know that there would be a little part of him that had contributed to the building of it. She would be able to always carry a piece of him around.

"Close your eyes."

Rey did as he told, shutting her eyes and steadying them so that her eyelids wouldn't twitch.

"Feel the Force around you," he said, voice dropping several pitches. "Reach out."

Rey was suddenly reminded of her time on Ahch-To, and it made doing what Kylo asked much simpler. Although—and her lips twitched for a small second—he didn't have a leaf to slap her with.

 _Do you sense it?_

 _Yes,_ Rey answered, not at all fazed by the sudden voice in her head.

 _Zone down your line of sight to this room. You will be able to see three things: me, yourself, and—_

 _The kyber crystal._

 _Precisely. Pour your attention into the kyber crystal. Pour your being into it. Get closer and closer to the Force. Do you feel it? Do you feel the crystal exuding its power to you?_

 _Yes_ , Rey responded. And she could. The crystal sparked brightly in her mind, as if it had a life of its own and knew that Rey was nearby to stake her claim on it.

 _Go to it. Let it read you. Let it inside you. Let the Force from it and you mesh together until neither one is distinguishable from the other._

Rey did as he told, focusing her attention to the power of the crystal. There was something mesmerizing that drew her in, and she didn't fight it. She had to become one with the crystal. It's what Kylo's guidance offered to her. It's what was right.

She felt her Force energy stretch out and lean ever-so-closer to the crystal. One more tiny tilt forward was all it took before she felt herself being yanked inside.

And what she saw was truly eye-opening.

Visions—at least, that's what she thought they were—rose to the forefront of her mind. As her Force energy collided with the crystals, a torrent of emotions and memories rushed through her. She felt the despair of not having a family. She felt the desire whenever she was in close proximity to Kylo. She felt the anger when Unkar Plutt grabbed her. She felt warmth when Leia smiled at her. She felt hopeless when watching Luke try to take down an army. She felt lost at her future. She felt friendship at Finn and BB-8 and every nameless face in the Resistance. She felt ardor with Kylo's rough, yet feathery touch. Each of these emotions washed over her as if the crystal itself was conducting a thorough scan through her entire brain, in the same fashion as Kylo and Sula both did under different circumstances; however, the crystal's method was non-intrusive.

But most of all, she felt darkness.

And this wasn't darkness that scared her, no. This was darkness that forged itself from the beginnings of Rey's life itself. This was darkness that had always existed in her, and had to, for the longest time, hide in its locked box as the stronger, light Rey overtook her entire being and placed itself as commander of her conscious. The darkness had offered some resistance during her younger years, as rapist men tried to go after her and at moments where Unkar Plutt had treated her lower than a grain of sand, but it knew that then was not the time to mount a full-on assault strike. All this darkness did was simply wait until the opportune moment to push back and rebel against all the morals and all the engrained teachings Rey had familiarized herself with over the course of her entire life. And that time was now, with the help of the crystal's Force showing Rey who she truly was.

The darkness flickered inside her and Rey unknowingly clenched her firsts at the raw power it had to offer. It channeled through her being and filled her full to the brim until she felt like she was going to succumb and get lost inside the infinitesimal, ethereal mass of darkness.

And after what seemed like hours but in reality was only seconds, Rey emerged from the bottomless pool of self-transcending. The crystal merged with her Force, with her power, and hummed in content at the new bond formed between it and its master.

Rey opened her eyes.

She had seriously forgotten where she even was, and it took her a few minutes before her brain caught up to reality. It was hard to do so, for during that time, she could feel the darkness inside working its hardest to stifle the light. A few minutes later, everything stilled. The darkness and the light stopped fighting, and that unnerved her more than anything else, for she had always thought the two would rage in an eternal war. Just look at the constant battle between the Jedi and their counterparts. But in her case, she couldn't tell which side had won and dominated.

Rey's attention was finally drawn to the kyber crystal, but she didn't need to look at it to know what color it had turned to. The whole room was dimly illuminated with a new color that casted an eerie glow on both her and Kylo's faces.

"It suits you," Kylo whispered.

Rey stared at the crystal. It glared a deep, aching red—the same color as Kylo's lightsaber. The crystal hissed and hummed with power, and how it didn't burn the carpet, Rey didn't know. The red was so naked and otherworldly that she couldn't help but let loose a whimper at how beautiful it was. It stood for many things. She could many emotions—passion, desire, lust, rage, fear—they were all mixed inside in a ball of pure power.

"I don't feel any different." Rey cleared her voice to dissolve the distasteful sound that it had due to heavy disuse.

"The crystal is merely a catalyst into a reaction that showed you for who you truly are. What you decide to do with that information is entirely up to you. It cannot mind control you into doing what it represents. You still have your conscious, but whether that is stronger than your innate self can be a test at times."

"The crystal…"

"Whether you like it or not, Rey, you will fulfill your destiny. You will slowly change."

"Into who I truly am," she finished.

"Into who you truly are," he repeated, holding out the palm of his right hand.

Rey's eyes widened and a smile began to split her face at the hilt lying flat in Kylo's palm.

"This is amazing," she oozed. Kylo pushed his hand out a little closer to her and Rey raised both of her hands up and reached them for the hilt. She grabbed one end in each and drew it closer to her.

The hilt itself was still shiny from the metal of the previous lightsaber it had belonged to but darker this time, so that it didn't gleam, but rather radiated. The design was heavily accentuated to the point where the color was more resemblant of a charcoal, sleek carbon look than anything else. Still, it was idiosyncratic in its own right.

She gave it a small toss in the air and reveled in how light it was. It couldn't have been heavier than the weight of her outer garments combined.

"I take it you like it."

Rey didn't even bother suppressing the huge grin that appeared on her face.

"I _love_ it. This is perfect."

She heard Kylo let out a deep breath that he had been holding, and realized that he must have been waiting for her approval. And Rey was going to give him just that.

She crawled over to him and planted another firm and striking kiss on his cheek before withdrawing back to her comfortable sitting position.

"What, no lips-to-lips this time?" Kylo smirked.

"No, because we both know what path that will lead down toward, and I have yet to finish constructing my lightsaber," Rey retorted, suppressing the urge to roll her eyes.

"You have already made immense progress. I don't believe there is anyone in the galaxy who has ever forged a lightsaber with speeds such as you yourself have done."

"Tell me what to do next."

"It's simple. Just use the Force and guide the crystal in. All the wires are already in place, so everything will snap together in one piece."

Rey didn't close her eyes this time, and she called the Force by raising her hand. She frowned at how easily the crystal began moving. After a few seconds of hesitancy, she lowered her hand and realized that she could direct the movement of the object with a mere thought.

"Often times, the creation of a lightsaber also allows for the heightening of one's Force skills as they are meditating," Kylo responded to her unasked question. "It is not uncommon."

Rey nodded, and continued with her task. The crystal, having been lifted off the floor, was pulsing with bright energy that could scorch. She directed it slowly until it slipped inside, past the little latch in the hilt that slid open to allow the crystal to enter, until it she felt the wires wrap themselves over it and firmly lock into place. Closing the latch, she rested her mind and called off the Force.

"I believe this is now yours," Kylo said, directing her newly-constructed lightsaber over to her with his Force.

Rey stared at it.

"It's beautiful," she finally said.

"Yes. Beautiful." She looked up to see Kylo staring purposefully at her face.

Rey stood up. She brought the lightsaber up to the defensive position she would normally adopt with her staff—leaning it to the right side of her body and holding the bottom end of the hilt with her left hand. For the top of the hilt, she closed in from the outside of the hilt and gripped it tightly with her right hand. Both of her arms were slightly bent.

And then she pressed the activation switch.

* * *

Rey crossed her arms and tapped her feet in impatience. She was currently in her room, filled with remaining energy that had yet to be used up for the day. After she had swung her new lightsaber and practiced with it in Kylo's room, he had demanded that she do it elsewhere for the sake of his belongings. Rey had been tempted to actually let her grip slide a little on the hilt so that it would swing out of her hand and actually impale through his dressing cabinet, but thought better of it.

The training room was a whole new story. Rey had been highly disappointed when Kylo asked her to come with him to the central deck. He had requested—yes, _requested_. Not demanded. He had requested her presence by his side as he went to deal with General Hux and sign off on First Order papers, but Rey knew she had to slightly decline at the aspect of practicing with her new weapon in the training room.

The next few hours included several dozen droid deaths as they were no match for Rey's weapon. The only times they landed strikes on her was when she was practicing a new maneuver or technique and was unfamiliar with how to go about it with a weapon that could destroy anything. But practice did make perfect after all, and by the end of the session, she found that she was quite adept with her new weapon. In fact, it was more or less the same as her staff on Jakku, except this weapon was lighter and far more deadlier. A single thrust could impale through metal like air, and an even simpler swipe could cut through any infrastructure without resistance. Thank the stars that she had previous experience and was well-versed enough with her staff so that she had never accidentally hit herself anymore after the first year of its use. If she didn't have the practice back then, then she might've already cut her limbs off by mistake with the lightsaber now.

She didn't know what time it was now, but was fairly certain it was getting late. The only thing she was concerned about now was how hungry she was, but because of all this unspent energy, she didn't feel like ordering in. Eating by herself was not an option.

Clipping the hilt that she had observed for the umpteenth time to her belt buckle, Rey stood up and left her quarters. She walked down the hallways that she had well-familiarized herself with and could recall with a simple tap into her memory until she approached a door with heavy social interaction behind it. She had searched up a cafeteria on the holocron and pinpointed it, and this is where she stood now, in front of a door that would open to First Order officers and Stormtroopers alike.

The door automatically slid open as she approached close to it, and she took a deep breath and walked through. At first, the chatter around her continued, for the sound of a door sliding open was nothing new to people's ears. But it all dimmed down one conversation at a time when people's eyes began to lift off their dinner or friends to stare at the newcomer that was obviously nervous walking through a horde of people with their full attentions on her.

Rey was getting second doubts. Everyone was staring at her and her tan clothes like an alien. Although no one was peering on her with evidential disgust or hatred, they held no shred of delight to see her either. Not that she was expecting that.

Rey had never been an attention-seeker, and she found herself furiously blushing under the scrutinizing stares of dozens of people. She willed her feet to walk forward and her eyes to scan even faster for a seat to sit in and disappear amongst the other heads bobbing around. It was a bad idea to come out. She should have just eaten in her room.

"Lady Rey!"

Rey's face flushed even darker if it was possible, at the addressment that could come from the voice of no other than Sula. She lifted her head and saw Sula with her helmet off, sitting in a far corner of the cafeteria. With a firm destination in her mind now, she pivoted her feet and started moving in her new direction toward her. At least she knew someone here, no matter how little it was.

The closer she approached, the easier it was for her to see that Sula was on a holocron and chatting with someone. But before she could fix her eyes on the figure, Sula turned it off.

"Lady Rey," she greeted, dipping her head.

"Please, Sula. Just Rey."

Sula was wearing her hair differently than when Rey last saw her that morning in the training room. Her hair still reached down to her waist, but it was in the form of two large braids instead of hundreds of individual strands.

"Rey, then. What are you doing here?"

"I—I was hungry so I came to eat."

"With that resplendent entrance?"

"Resplendent?" Rey asked in confusion. "They all just looked up at me!"

Sula sighed. "Of course they did. You're _Rey_ , a scavenger from Jakku who joined the Resistance and then defected for the First Order. Everyone has known you've been on the Finalizer for days, and yet this is their first time they're seeing you. You're a celebrity in your own right."

Rey pushed down on the uncomfortable sensation at being described as a defector and someone loyal to the First Order.

"I didn't want this attention, though!"

Sula chuckled. "You should have just eaten in your room then."

Rey took offense to that. "I see that I should have after all."

She made plans to get to her feet, but before she could rise, a hand rested on her arm.

"Please excuse my behavior, Lady Rey. I did not mean it in disrespect."

Rey decided not to correct her this time and instead waited on what she had to say.

"Let's eat. You must be famished."

Rey's stomach grumbled right as she said that, and she couldn't help but look a little sheepish.

The two of them got out of their seats and over to the meal center. Rey's eyes darted to the side and saw many First Order officers and Stormtroopers with their gazes fixed on them; she assumed Sula ate here often, for their attention was more so on her than Sula's striking features.

Once again, Rey couldn't get over the fact at how ordinary everything seemed. Here she was, inside a Star Destroyer surrounded by people with _faces_ who were laughing and deep in discussion as they ate, willingly getting food in First Order territory surrounded by ones who were supposed to be her enemies.

And now she almost felt like she was one of them.

Rey bit down on her lip to stop the protest escaping from her. She was beginning to feel turmoil; it was another small-scale battle that had begun. Her conscious wanted her away. It wanted her to return to the Resistance. To what was home.

"Are you okay?"

Sula's voice jolted her out of her thoughts.

"F—Fine," Rey said. She chastised herself for letting her guard down.

Sula stared at her and sighed. "I know that we got off on the wrong foot, but you must know that I genuinely care. I can sense when something is wrong, and that is what is happening right now."

Rey stepped back, overwhelmed at her honest concern. Sula wore her emotions on the sleeve of her shirt, and it was obvious she was telling the truth, even to Rey, someone who had shut herself off to emotions the best she could for over fifteen years.

"Let's just get our food," Rey said, yanking black plate from a stack in the corner of the row of food. She could tell Sula wanted to inquire more, but she went on ahead and let herself be distracted by the abundant amounts of food. Every color and style was available for her picking. There were countless tubs of meats, vegetables, fruits, dessert—anything and everything she could think of, was piled high, always ready to be refilled by the cooks behind the kitchen doors.

Rey ended up filling her plate so full that she couldn't see the color of the plate and had to rest her palm on the bottom of it to even carry it. There was just one thing: she had no idea what she put on her plate.

"I see you aren't a picky eater," Sula observed in the small moment of silence after they both sat down at the same time.

"Jakku was hardly the place to be picky. You would consider yourself extremely lucky if you even got a portion after a day of work."

"Can you tell me about it?"

Rey nodded. She couldn't voice her affirmation, because her mouth was stuffed full of food. Sula handed her a piece of silverware that came with her meals when she ordered her meals from her quarters, but Rey let it sit unused. She had never used it then, and didn't feel like using it now. Why would she? She had always eaten with her hands, no matter how dirty they were.

Although, whatever she was chewing had a slippery texture and her fingers quickly became oily.

Rey didn't even bother to chew until all the food was cut into little pieces by her canines before swallowing. Her stomach abruptly grumbled in satisfaction. She knew her behavior when it came to eating was in no shape or form polite nor mannerly, but year after year of eating by herself led to bad habits that didn't wash away in just a few months.

"The portions were hardly much to begin with at all. They could be distributed up to quarters."

"What was in them?"

"A full portion consisted of three meals and some snacks. Even on a good day though, I would only get a quarter portion or half. It was nothing more than some polystarch bread and some protein-enhanced food called veggie-meat."

"It wasn't real meat," Sula shuddered, her silver eyes never breaking their contact with Rey's brown ones.

"Yes," Rey agreed. "I would mix the bread powder with water and it would solidify into something edible. You could cook the artificial meat."

"Those portions, aren't they simply rations?"

Rey nodded. "Military rations taken from warships that crashed on Jakku during the Galactic Civil War. There were thousands and thousands scavenged, and all of them were held by—by—"

"By who?"

Rey gritted her teeth. "Unkar Plutt," she seethed.

Stars, she hated that creature. Memories in the past surfaced, ones that went beyond the appropriate line for sexual requests in exchange for portions for a child her age.

"Do you have any memorable memories of your time on Jakku that you would like to share?"

What pleasant memories did she have? Rey didn't want to talk about how she stayed up crying every night, surrounded by lifeless sand and nothing. She was all alone for years, with the only communication being with Unkar Plutt and the imaginary conversations she had with any pieces of technology that she salvaged and kept, or holovids that she traded priceless portions for and learned about life outside of Jakku. She didn't want to talk about how she tallied in a mark for every night that passed, begging on her knees and yelling out in frustration at the parents who never came.

Rey crammed her fingers in her food and put another ball of whatever in her mouth. She licked her fingers clean of little tidbits.

Then, one memory surfaced and she found herself talking about it with her mouth half-full.

"There was one…" she started. "A droid. From the BB-series. I scooped him out of a net from another scavenger and he wouldn't stop following me around, no matter how much I initially pestered him to leave." Rey gave a sad little smile, falling into the past.

"Because you saved him?"

"I suppose, although I reckon it was more so because I could speak binary and communicate with him. Not many people take the time to learn the language. Most people find it to be underneath them. He was lost and I was the first person he found who wasn't in a hurry to trade him in for credits or portions. Although…I—"

Rey's heart sank and the food in front of her served as a mocking reminder.

"He followed me to Plutt when I traded in my scavenges for half a portion. But when he saw BB-8…" she swallowed the rest of her food and it slid down her throat like sandpaper. "He offered sixty portions."

"Sixty portions?! Maker, that's two months' worth of food!"

Rey nodded and dipped her fingers in her food again, this time playing with it.

"But you didn't accept the trade."

"No," Rey told her. "I didn't. I was sorely tempted to. I can't even begin to try to explain how hard it is to focus on scavenging, let alone sleeping while hungry. The hunger never stopped. It constantly gnawed on the inside of you, never letting you forget that your life was in a miserable position as it was in. Even the scavengers who had received more portions than me didn't have it easy. The rations were always the same taste and it grew bland. The BB-8 droid…I almost gave in."

Rey stuffed another load of food in her mouth, willing herself to stop talking and dragging herself deeper down into her jarring memories. The more she did, the deeper the daggers buried themselves.

Maybe Sula could detect that she was becoming more frantic as she slurred her sentences, or maybe she could tell that she pressed too far for facts about her life; Rey didn't know, but what she did know was that she breathed a huge sigh of relief when Sula dropped the conversation at that. Rey's mind was just beginning to shift from BB-8 to her owner Poe, and she knew that if her thoughts went down that path, then she would begin to think of Finn, Leia, and the Resistance. And that was not something she wanted to do right now.

"I see you've made yourself a new lightsaber."

Rey nodded, her mouth full of food.

"So that's what Kylo said when he had unfinished business to take care. I thought I felt a disturbance in the Force. May I see it?"

Rey froze. She wasn't sure if she was willing enough to depart with her treasure so abruptly—after all, she had only made it a few hours ago. But she set her mind at ease by chastising herself. Sula was merely going to examine it, not steal it. Rey nodded.

Sula undid the clip with the Force and called it over to her outstretched hand. She turned it around in her palm and examined it for a long time—so long that Rey swore that she looked at the same spots at least three times.

"I can sense Kylo's energy in this. He helped with the hilt, didn't he?"

She swallowed quickly to respond, wincing at the large chunk of food that scalded its way through her esophagus. "I didn't know you could sense that."

"It's not Force-energy, but I had a feeling. And the crystal?"

"Red."

"Befitting for a Lady."

"Sula, I've told you before—" but Rey didn't get to finish what she was saying. At that exact moment, she heard a series of chirps coming from down near Sula's waist. One of her hands took out the communication device, while the other placed grabbed the hilt of Rey's weapon and stretched out to her. Rey understood the silent interpretation and called the lightsaber over to her with the Force and clipped it back to her belt. She could have sworn that the crystal hummed in delight at being back by her side.

Rey heard her greeting and her attention was instantly drawn back to the communicator.

"Kylo?"

There was a pause. "What are you doing, Rey?"

"I didn't want to stay cooped up alone in my room after training, so I went to the cafeteria."

"And you're eating there?"

"Yes, Kylo. That's what people usually do when they go to the cafeteria. They eat."

She heard him snarling on the other end. Sula jumped at the sound, but all Rey did was smile.

"Have you finished your paperwork?"

"Yes. Both of you, come to the central deck." Then the radio went dead.

Rey didn't like his change of demeanor to that of a suddenly abrupt one. The voice over the communicator in his last message did not belong to Kylo Ren, but rather the Supreme Leader.

Her plate still had a few bites of food on it, and Rey wasted no time scarfing the rest of it down. Sula watched her with peering and sympathetic eyes, but Rey realized with a start that she didn't really mind Sula hovering over her personal space.

"Done?"

"Very," Rey admitted, feeling full and bloated.

Sula chuckled and their plates floated up and over to the end of the room, where the machine for the dirty dishes were. The two of them stood up. Rey tidied her clothes, scraping off any crumbs that had fallen onto her lap during her feasting excursion, making sure to bump her lightsaber with her elbow to make sure that it was still there. Sula, on the other hand, put on her helmet, much to Rey's distaste. She still didn't like how shadowed it was, hiding a face behind a mask that just felt so…evil.

Rey had a feeling that she knew what was going to happen. The situation with Numina had yet to be resolved, and she knew it would be unavoidable.

The two of them could feel all eyes staring at their figures as they swiftly left the cafeteria.


	9. Chapter 9

Hi! Here with another update. School is busy but I'll be on break in a couple of weeks so I'll have more time to invest in this. Another note: a reader mentioned that he/she expected Rey's lightsaber to be white. I thought about that before I began writing the fanfiction, but the idea is to corrupt Rey. I know that it may sound impossible, but if I take it slowly enough it should be feasible and acceptable. Hopefully the transitions won't be stilted either, lol. Back to the Resistance in a couple of chapters!

Thanks for reading!

* * *

"Bring us closer to Numina," Sula commanded the First Order officer. "Prepare hangar twelve."

Kylo left the main deck and Sula and Rey followed. The hallways were busier than usual. Rey would bet both her arms that although Hux hated Kylo, he still cared enough about the First Order to place legions of Stormtroopers at the ready. Just in case.

His command shuttle was already prepped, and they entered it.

Rey's jaw dropped. If she thought the ship she escaped to Crait in was fancy, this easily surpassed it.

The black splashed on the walls were supposed to be menacing a testament to the ruthlessness of the First Order, but the dark color cast a dim shadow in the enclosed space that lured Rey's mind to ease.

"I heard you were quite adept at piloting ships." Kylo's voice jolted Rey out of her reverie.

"Yes," she admitted.

"Co-pilot seat's open," he said, dismissing the pilot another corner of the ship.

"Really?!" Rey's attitude changed immediately. Not needing Kylo to tell her again, she plopped herself down in the seat next to him. He was already strapped in and starting the engines. Rey busied herself with double-checking the dashboard, making sure everything was functional.

The two of them piloted the command shuttle out of the hangar and into the open space. Rey peered out of the glass panel in front of them and saw several more First Order Star Destroyers floating near them.

"My other Knights," Kylo explained, before Rey could ask. "Each is assigned to a ship. I had given them prior assignments, but this one takes precedent."

"I see."

Kylo gave her a rare smile, but then it faded.

"If you are in danger, I will immediately pull you out. As much as this will bolster your experience of the First Order, there are heavy risks."

"I can take care of myself, Kylo." Rey smirked, patting her side where she knew her lightsaber was.

"No!"

Rey arched her eyebrows at his raised voice.

"Just let me have this," Kylo continued. "Damesh poses little threat against us, but he is an ingenious and slippery man. Plus, my other Knights…" his sentence tapered off.

Rey couldn't help at how surly he sounded. Crossing her arms, she frowned. She didn't like it, but she knew that even though he was excessively worrying about her, worry was worry, and that thought helped calm her down. Given what she had experienced with him over the last day, she knew that he believed this form of his control was a genuine gesture to show his concern for her.

"Fine," she sighed, relenting.

"We have a few minutes before landing."

Rey took his release to heart. She let go of the control stick and spun around to see Sula in the back brushing something over her knives.

"What are you doing?" Rey asked, moving closer to her.

"Coating my blades with poison," Sula answered her, refusing to break her concentration.

"Don't you have a lightsaber?"

"I do, but lightsabers are too quick. I find that knives are much more finessed and are much more… _effective_ in killing people," she smirked.

"You don't think it'll end up that way?"

"Not for the villagers, no," Sula asked. "But if Supreme Leader is requesting us, on top of you _and_ himself, then the threat is very real. And we must prepare for it any way possible. Foolishness can get you killed."

 _Little threat. Yeah, right._

"That and hesitation."

Sula gave her a warm nod. "That's right."

A comfortable pause spread between the two until Sula broke it.

"May I ask you something, Lady Rey?"

"Please," Rey said. "How many times have I asked you to call me Rey? None of that Lady nonsense." Speaking of which, she'd have to have a very forward confrontation with Kylo about it.

"It might be hard to break this habit," Sula smiled.

"What is it?"

"This is a lot to ask, but one of the Knights—his name is Jarrok. If it comes down to the worst, and I am not available, I ask that you watch over him, and keep him safe. He has a predilection toward drawing unwanted attention. He can take care of himself, but…" she faded away.

Something about Sula and Rey bonding over food in the cafeteria, let alone Sula having being the first person to actually know how she ate made Rey feel as if she had genuinely started a new friendship, as elementary as it was. Combining that with the knowledge that she had confessed some of her experiences on Jakku made it impossible for Rey to turn her down.

"I promise," Rey said. "I know what it's like to overtly worry about someone, whether they want you to or not."

Sula expressed her gratitude with a nod, and Rey saw just how important the other Knight was in her eyes.

"He's someone very dear to you, isn't he?" she asked.

Sula tucked her knives away. "He is. More than he'll ever know."

"Relationships are allowed amongst the Knights?"

Sula answered her thoughts after a momentary glance at Kylo. "When the Supreme Leader was Snoke, he forbade romanticism, citing it as the downfall of the powerful. Just take Anakin Skywalker and Padme. But now, ever since Kylo became the new Supreme Leader, he seems to think that relationships are the key."

"He surely can't have directly expressed that to you."

"He hasn't, but it's blatant. He's so taken with you, he's not sure what to do. Never have I seen him so torn."

Rey glanced toward the cockpit and at Kylo, whose mouth was set in a straight line as he choked the pilot. "Right," she said.

Kylo's head turned toward them and his grip slackened. The pilot toppled back in his chair, gasping for breath while Kylo strolled toward them.

"We're arriving," he said.

Rey nodded before returning to the cockpit. She spared a sympathetic glance at the pilot while he made himself invisible, before buckling herself to her seat and taking control of the stick. The brown planet grew. It was even larger than Jakku.

They were about to push through the atmosphere.

A pit of nervousness grew inside her. She was wary, uncertain about the other Knights. Sula was an exception, but there had to be another reason why she was the only one called onto the Finalizer and none of the others were.

She didn't understand it, but Rey was already beginning to change.

Rey saw Kylo's gloved right hand resting on the panel, and without thinking, she slid hers over until her fingertips grazed over the top of his hand.

He looked at her with a soft stare. No words were exchanged, but their eyes said it all.

A slight jerk of the shuttle pulled their attention away from each other. The command shuttle broke through the clouds, giving Rey an optimal view of the land around her.

The city itself was like a base on the planet; it was small enough for Rey to see the circumference of the walls surrounding it. For as far as her eyes could see, there was no other civilizations nearby.

"Rost is one of the largest cities on this planet," Sula said, tapping into her thoughts.

"And Damesh is here?" Rey asked, incredulous. The infrastructure didn't really seem like walls more so than simple construction that could be broken through with a shot from a blaster rifle.

"First Order Stormtroopers are guarding the outskirts of the city. There are no tunnels in the vicinity." The only way out is through the main gate or the secondary ones. And an unbeknownst escape from air is out of order, for obvious reasons."

"And where are the other Knights? Four of them, I presume?"

"My other Knights will not be landing with us, but at other key entrances around the city."

"More surface area."

"Great. Looks like I won't have the pleasure of meeting them," Rey said sarcastically.

"For your sake, I hope you don't have to either."

"And what's that supposed to mean?"

"If all goes well, there will be minimal complications. However, I already expect an outbreak of conflict."

"Damesh isn't the type of person to willingly accept his fate," Sula input.

Kylo turned to look at Rey.

"If I see that you are in any danger—"

" _You_?I can take care of myself, Kylo. Thanks."

Kylo yanked her hand over to him. "As much as I know of your skill and eagerness, this is not a joke, Rey."

Rey felt her temper short-circuiting. "I never said it was! You treat me as if I am a child and can't take care of myself!"

She could see him grating his teeth. "If you are in any danger, I will not hesitate whatsoever to pull you out. I never wanted this."

"And yet, you're the one who made the decision to take me along."

This time, it was Sula who spoke.

"Rey, the Supreme Leader has your best interests at heart. Please don't make this so difficult for him."

Rey turned around to Kylo to see obvious bouts of anger flickering over his face.

"Fine."

She knew she was being stubborn, but his concern for her was unnecessary. The degree of his hold over her was growing to be tiresome. Yes, she appreciated his help with her in his quarters in constructing her new lightsaber, but if there was a quality she could fix about him, it would be his incessant control.

The command shuttle gently landed on the ground, its wings lifting up over the main deck.

"Ready the hangar," Kylo commanded. The pilot nodded his head and voiced his affirmation.

"So far so good," Sula muttered. Rey glanced at the window to the ship's surroundings. It didn't look good to her.

They had landed on the outskirts of the city, where grass met dirt. Several small peddler shops stood erect on the edges of the city, advertising themselves to travelers and newcomers alike. However, that wasn't what Rey's focus was on.

A swarm of people had begun to gather near them—not too close as for Rey to be able to make out their distinct features on all of their faces, but close enough for her to see that there were men, women, and children alike meddling in the crowd, and that all of their expressions were generally the same. Everyone looked worried. Women shied their offspring behind them, as if protecting them with their body. Almost all the men wore scowls and had their arms crossed around their chests.

There was a loud click. Rey whipped her head to the noise and saw Kylo Ren with his helmet on. Her scowl easily mirrored one of the city's men.

"Kylo!"

"There is no room for argument. This is final. I have already explained to you why the helmet is a necessity."

Rey's scowl deepened. The man could be so cold sometimes.

The Supreme Leader gestured to Sula, and she smiled at Rey before slipping on her helmet as well. Now she would be the odd one out.

The three of them exited the hangar, Rey next to Kylo and Sula trailing behind them, watching their sides and backs. Rey did a double-take when her boots crunched on the grass. She had heard of it, but experiencing it was a different story.

"Rey," Kylo warned.

"Sorry," she muttered, tearing her eyes from the grass and falling alongside him again.

"Have your blade at the ready. These people are deranged and tend to let their emotions dictate their actions."

That sounded like someone she knew. Rey let loose a soft snort, but refrained from speaking her mind.

The scrutiny of the city inhabitants didn't help Rey to relax her grip on the hilt of her lightsaber. As they walked closer and closer to the city's entrance, the population density increased. But the villagers all parted to the side when the three of them walked by, leaving a huge empty trail behind them as all their heads turned and hushed murmurs arose.

Rey focused her attention on staring unabashedly at the villagers. None of them kept her gaze for too long—whenever her eyes flitted to a meet another person's, they would quickly skirt their attention away from her. However, given a hard life of on Jakku, Rey could read people with just a brief glance.

Anger. Sorrow. Despondence.

The city villagers were dressed in even poorer conditions than her gear. The men wore heavy coats and pants that sealed off at their ankles so that dirt wouldn't get in. Their boots were heavy, burdened with the troubles they had to endure for the benefit of their families. Women wore simple skirts with even simpler pants that seemed to be recycled from the city trash dump. Children were by far the worst. Their clothes were off-colored and patchy, a product of countless hours of mothers sewing together scraps of clothes they could salvage anywhere, anyhow.

Men's eyes were hardened. Women's eyes were wary. The children were innocent, but with the coming years of a difficult life, they too would grow to harbor the same sentiments their parents did.

Rey had just absorbed all these images when there was a commotion.

Appearing from out of nowhere, a toy the size of a small rock head flew into the air and at Kylo. Because Rey's focus was on the villagers while his attention was on Damesh in the city, he didn't see it until after her. Regardless, he still had enough time to stop it, but didn't.

Rey held her hand out and stopped the object in its tracks. She called the Force to her fingertips, and the rock froze in the middle of the air. Gasps rose around her at her display of the Force, and many previous expressions of indignation quickly turned to fear.

She waited for Kylo to do something, but it seemed like he was keeping himself at bay. Interpreting this as means for her to proceed into action, she gathered her voice.

"Who threw this?" she asked. Her voice was soft, but in the deafening silence, it was amplified.

Hushed whispers were all she could hear, mostly in terror of her living up to the First Order's wrathful reputation, but she didn't get any dark pleasure from this. These people were innocent, guiltless of whatever misdeeds the war had brought.

In other words, their innocence was not a trigger. But it didn't seem that way for the comrade behind her, and Rey noticed it all too late. By the time she turned around, Sula was already brandishing her blades at the throats of random city villagers, threatening them with death if they didn't depart answers to Rey's question.

"Sula, that's enough!" Rey barked. Not expecting Sula to adhere to the first ever command she gave her, she was surprised entirely when the female Knight backed off and returned to her side. Rey glanced at Kylo. No doubt this was his doing. _Lady Rey_.

"I threw it!"

The crowd parted for the person who spoke up, and who came out surprised Rey for the second time: a child, no older than the age of ten. He pressed forward, the city villagers making no attempt to stop him as he approached the three. His parents were nowhere in sight.

She walked over to the boy. Getting down on one knee, she looked him in the eyes.

"Hi," Rey smiled. She lifted the small figurine to his eye level. "I think is yours."

It was apparent that the boy was afraid of her by the fear in his eyes, but he didn't allow this to show it.

"I threw it because I hate the First Order."

Rey heard the gasps of the villagers around her. Ignoring them, she took his hands and inserted the toy into his palms. Then she scrunched them.

"Why do you hate the First Order?"

The boy shrugged. "I don't know. The people in white come every day and bang on our doors. Daddy also tells me the First Order can help, but they don't."

Rey didn't know how to answer that. She didn't know about the Stormtrooper scenario, but she sure as hell knew that the First Order had enough resources to lend a helping hand.

She could sense Kylo's impatience, but it glanced off her irritation at him. What was it he had said?

 _The weak have to fight for it_.

"I want you to keep your toy," Rey said. "It wouldn't be good to lose it, would it now?"

She gave the boy's hair a small ruffle and then stood up. Seeing all these citizens trying their hardest to scrape by each and every day reminded her dearly of herself when she was on Jakku. It didn't matter how desperate she was—if there had been a possibility of help in easing her living conditions, she definitely would have accepted it then. This was no different than the situation here. Her decision had been made.

"The First Order will help improve the living conditions of the citizens of Rost."

A large wave of mumbling ensued, immediately drowning Rey's voice. All of the villagers were staring at her, murmuring incoherently about things she could not pay close enough attention to. She had their attention, and for the first time since coming here, the villagers' expressions started to lighten.

"Is that what you're here for?" she heard no one in particular ask.

Rey paused and decided to tell the truth.

"There is a more pressing situation we must dissolve first." Seeing their disgruntled faces again, she pressed on.

"But you have my word that after its resolution, the First Order will do all in its power to ensure a better life for the people here."

A fire of anger lit up inside her and it was so real that she almost winced. Rey didn't have to turn around to know that Kylo was furious with her.

"What is it you're here to do?" another villager asked. Before Rey could respond, Sula stepped in.

"That is First Order business," she stated. "Information that we cannot divulge."

A mist of grumbling filled the area, but the villagers appeared to be more content with how things played out than they were when Rey first came here.

Rey gave the child one last smile before walking forward. This time, Kylo and Sula followed her. The villagers obediently spread apart as they progressed, and before long, she reached the first vendor carts on the outskirts of the city.

There were over a dozen Stormtroopers stationed outside the open exit. It was obvious that they were bored out of their minds, for they were slackened against the wall and paying attention to anything but the exit.

 _Sufficient security, my arse._

Rey walked closer, and when she was just about to freely pass, she felt them stiffen.

"Halt," one of them said, surprising her. "Who are you?"

"I'm—"

"Who she is is none of your business," a snarl came from behind her. Rey was jostled to the side and Kylo Ren took her place. She could literally hear the gear click inside both the Stormtrooper's minds, and the audible gulps as they swallowed nervously.

"S—Supreme Leader, sir!" one said, just as another shrieked, "Welcome!"

"You were all informed of our visit, yet I see little effort on your part that reflects a responsible soldier. Every one of you will be sent to reconditioning after your shifts."

"Kylo, no!" Rey exclaimed, her voice mixed in with the Stormtrooper's cries.

"Be quiet, scavenger!" he hissed, whirling around to face her. Rey took a step back from him. "Anything you say is forfeit!"

Rey's mouth dropped at his use of words. She could not believe this. Was Kylo Ren really throwing a _temper tantrum_?

When she spoke, she kept her voice calm and collected, masking the anger brewing underneath.

"Sula, make sure these Stormtroopers explicitly understand that there will be absolutely _no_ conditioning involved whatsoever."

"Yes, Lady Rey."

"Excellent. I'm going to have a chat with the _Supreme Leader_ , if he doesn't mind," Rey sneered.

Of course he'd mind, but she wasn't giving him an option, and he knew this by the tone of her voice. Rey pulled him past the entrance until they were in a corner that granted them a bit of privacy. Even this was hard to find, as there were so many civilians and shopkeepers around.

"Take off that stupid helmet of yours," she told him.

"No."

"I said take it off!"

Kylo must've realized that Rey was not in the mood, so he relented, doing as she told. He took off his helmet, and Rey was presented with the real Kylo Ren again. The person who she knew.

"Kylo—" she began.

"You had no right to make false assurances! The people of Rost's problems are not for the First Order to deal with!"

False? Rey's eyelid twitched. Oh, so this is how it was going to go down.

"I did not make _false_ assurances! I did what was right. These people are suffering, and you can't just sit by and do nothing, especially when it would hardly take a moment of your time to right things!"

"You do not have the authority to make such a guarantee!"

"Unbelievable! You're turning this argument into a struggle for power?"

"You are not the Supreme Leader. You cannot make these decisions, especially if I do not share the same desires as you!"

"Do you think these people asked for this life? Look at them, Kylo!" Rey waved her arm around to demonstrate her point. "What if this was us, Kylo? Do you think we would hesitate to ask for help if our lives were in such poverty? What if this was _me_?"

"You would never be living in such a wasteland to begin with."

"I'm from Jakku, for Maker's sake! Are you so far caught up in your self-ideologies that you have lost any shred of sympathy for people in need?!"

"I've lost my compassion for people a long time ago! I hold no debt toward anyone or anything! The only person I even remotely care about is you!" he hissed, stepping closer to Rey. "And yet, you consider my worries to be overburdening, and whenever the opportunity presents, you just love to disobey me!"

Rey heart wrenched at his words, but she remained steadfast. This was going nowhere. She had to try a different approach.

She closed the gap between the two of them and lifted her arm up. Kylo flinched, but remained still. Slowly, her small delicate fingers traced the cheekbone of Kylo and down to his jawline.

It had a visible effect. As soon as they made contact, Kylo's breathing slowed and his body slackened. The pulse of electricity was back. All the tension that were on both of their shoulders evaporated the instant their connection flared back to live. All with one simple touch.

"If you can't do it out of your own heart, then please do it for me."

She could see his brain whirring as it fought against his heart, but her words seemed to finally win him over.

"Fine," he grit.

Rey gave him a real smile, pleased that her plan had worked. Her fingers moved from his chin to the cusp of his neck. She pulled his face down to her level and planted a gentle kiss on his cheek before pulling away.

"Sula!" she yelled.

Kylo didn't hear what else she said. He stared at her, dumbstruck at what she just did. His face was blank and unmoving, unsure of what to comprehend. But a moment later, his hand moved of his own accord and grazed that spot where her lips had touched. It was the first time Rey had truly expressed herself for him.

Rey found Sula near the entrance of the city and walked with her over. Her helmet was off, which Rey now realized was a wise move. The fewer the icons that were associated with the First Order, the lower the chance that Damesh and his men would discover they were there.

Although that chance was probably gone already. The crowd that had formed near them the entrance that they had to push through would no doubt draw attention. Rey had to present herself with the fact that the enemy was already made aware of their presence.

Hopefully the other Knights treated the villagers with the same courtesy they did, although Rey highly doubted that.

The three of them made their way deeper through the heart of the city, in the same manner as they did through the villagers when they first got off the command shuttle: Kylo and Rey side-by-side, and Sula in the rear. Some people stared at them for longer than considered normal, and this was probably because they looked slightly out of place. Everyone was dressed in dull colors, Rey included, for they were all the same shade of tan or brown—except for Kylo and Sula. Their intricate black outfits stood out like a sore thumb in the scraggly environment as well as the scorching hot weather. No one would be crazy or stupid enough to deliberately suffocate themselves in something with no insulation.

They passed outdoor merchants—some had their own carts, while others only had a rug with their goods on the dusty dirt ground. The buildings that lay on each side of the street were comprised not of durasteel or bricks, but rather mud with rocks and whatever else that was infused in the material. There were no idiosyncratic patterns to the buildings; in fact, all of them looked pretty much uniform, in the shape of a bumpy straight lines that combined to make a box-like shape. Little openings in each building were small squares, supposedly windows. But there were no glass panes; rather, they were obscured by a dirty washcloth or stray article of clothing. Out of all the buildings and homes they passed, only a few had any decorations on them—usually a plant of sorts dangling from a screw that was jammed in the side of the caked mud wall.

Rey was on the lookout for Damesh, but the invasive crowd of people bustling about and her height made it nigh-impossible to do so. She wasn't tall enough to peer over the numerous heads obscuring her view. Kylo was however, so Rey left him to that and ended up spending her time trying to gauge what the stalls were selling.

A lot of the merchants seemed to be selling useless junk. There were stalls that seemingly sold the same wares. There were places selling odd trinkets or clothes that fared better than what most of the villagers were wearing. Some places were offering lumpy bits of jewelry, but Rey highly doubted it was real, given the poor economy. If people were too poor to afford anything, then a real jewelry store would offer no market. Even still, her interest was piqued. She had never been in an open marketplace before, and the commotions of the citizens and shouts of the vendors as they advertised their products for cheap credits fascinated her.

As they rounded a corner, Rey found her feet moving of her own accord toward a new stall that was selling an array of goods she had yet to spot.

"Rey!"

"Come here!" she called to both Kylo and Sula. She could feel both of their hesitancies, but they approached her nonetheless.

When they got close enough, the vendor noticed, and he immediately latched onto Rey like a parasite. There was something wrong with his voice when he spoke, like he had inhaled a bunch of coal and had permanent phlegm trapped inside his throat.

"Young lady, welcome. I see you've got a keen eye."

"I like this one," she pointed at a black strap bag along a line of a dozen. "How much are you selling these for?" It would be useful, for it was large enough to store both Kylo and Sula's helmets inside so that they didn't have to uncomfortable tuck them to their sides. They could also maybe get some water in this heat and store it as well.

"A thousand credits."

"A thousand?" Rey asked, frowning. Even with her inexpertise, she was certain a bag wouldn't cost that much. "Surely it can't be that high."

"Oh, I assure you, miss. All of these products are made from the finest Tauntaun skins. Rough, durable, and made to last. The demand is quite high."

Rey was caught in a sticky situation. She never learned how to bargain. The first couple of times where she attempted was met with raucous glares and vicious threats at the mere suggestion of receiving more portions. Unkar Plutt was as unnegotiable as one could get, and thinking of him now only served to rile Rey up. She was about to speak, but Kylo beat her to the chase.

"You are selling this product in the wrong place, scum. No one in their right mind would buy a product this excessively priced."

The man scowled.

"You seem to think that I will take your lip and shove it down my throat. One thousand. Take it or leave it."

Rey grabbed Kylo's arm and pulled him back. If she didn't, she was certain Kylo would have his head.

"It's fine, Kylo," she said. "We can just go somewhere else."

There was something inexplicable in his eyes. Something that almost seemed to be along the lines of him persevering and getting what he wanted. Why though, she wasn't sure.

But before she could ponder anymore, Sula stepped forward.

"I'm well familiar with Tauntaun skin," she said. "This bag is worth one hundred at most."

"And why should I take your word for it?" the merchant sneered. It didn't escape Rey's notice that he neither rejected nor affirmed Sula's claim.

"I'm from Hoth. I spent my childhood there. This bag Rey seeks is worth one hundred. We'll pay you three hundred. A two hundred percent gain."

Oh, Rey could tell the merchant was seething. He probably expected one or two sales today, but the last thing he was expecting were for strangers to come and put him in his place.

"Eight hundred."

"How many people even buy your products at that outrageous price? You know very well the people of Rost do not have the resources to purchase an item for such. And if you offered the villagers the same price as us, then you wouldn't even be in Rost, for you would have no business. You are scamming us and only us."

"Seven hundred. This bag may not be worth as much, but the three of you are carrying around items that I'm sure are of inconvenience to you."

"Three hundred," Sula argued.

"No. Seven hundred. Last offer."

"Let me be clear," Rey said, standing forward. "We do not _need_ this bag. This is merely something that would make our travel a bit easier. But that does not mean that if we were not to buy this, our lives would come to an end. Right now, our inconvenience is worth well more than seven hundred credits."

"I have a family to feed. Seven hundred."

At the mention of his family, Rey's shoulders slumped. She hated this, especially if the man was telling the truth. Which he may or may not be, but she would never know. Now she couldn't get an image of a young girl and her mother out of her head.

Wait a minute. She could know. All she'd have to do is tap into the Force and read his mind. It might be invasive and she had never done it before, but couldn't Kylo?

She shook her head. No. What was she thinking? Inflicting this sort of pain to someone over something as petty as a bag? This was unlike her, getting set off by the smallest of things.

Sula turned to them, shrugging. "Can't argue with a brick wall."

"Sula, are you sure?"

Kylo scoffed. "If you believe every word this fool says, then this life is not for you."

Rey felt slightly offended, but Kylo had a point.

"We shall pass," she heard him say.

Well, that was that. The three of them turned around and began walking away. But it didn't seem like the vendor was done yet.

"Unless you'd like to go to other cities, there are no other vendors who sell these wares! I am the only one in Rost!"

"We'll pass," Kylo grunted again.

The man could sense that they were really about to leave him, and desperately offered.

"You can have it for five hundred!"

Sula waved him off. He kept shouting, but they ignored him until his shouts stopped.

There was a sudden commotion, and the crowd they had slipped into suddenly spread apart to reveal the stricken-looking merchant.

"Four hundred! You can have it for four hundred!"

Rey had never known this kind of pestering before. They had already refused him, yet he was still on their tail as if he could change Kylo's mind. She scoffed. There was no way. When Kylo set his mind to something, there was no stopping him.

"I said no!" Kylo barked.

The man didn't seem to take no for an answer, and shouted, "Fine! You can have it for three hundred!" but did so as he forcefully grabbed Rey's arm, preventing them from walking even further.

Rey's mouth dropped open.

 _Oh shi—_

Kylo roared at the contact and slammed the man to the ground in a rough tackle. But it wasn't over yet. He stood back up and threw out his hand, forcefully pulling the merchant up so that his feet were no longer touching the ground. The man's eyes bulged and his hands went to his throat at the unseen force that was choking him.

"You. Touched. Her!"

"Pl—let me—"

If Rey's initial impression of the man's voice was resembling that of a coal miner, her new impression of his voice was like someone who had lost their voice after a severe disease. Rey could sense the life force leaving the man with each extra bit of pressure Kylo exerted on his neck with his fingers.

The entire crowd near them had stopped to see what was going on, and people began to scream at the sight before them. Rey's attention was fully on Kylo, watching as he squeezed tighter and tighter. The man was turning bluer, and his hands were beginning to slow down in their prying. Sula stood off to the side, seemingly entertained.

Rey knew she should stop him, but there was something raw about the way Kylo was choking him. Something that fascinated her and locked her into place at the scene before her, refusing to let her break eye contact. The darkness inside her came to life and slithered at the spectacle before her. Its enjoyment seeped into her chest and into lungs until all Rey could breathe was pleasure at the power before her eyes. She herself panting in anticipation.

His display was overwhelming. They were the antithesis of each other. Kylo was full of dominance and government, and this man was nothing but a bug beneath his feet. This was power. This was _passion_.

Kylo started moving forward, and the man's feet slid backwards as a response. The crowd eagerly parted for them, uneager to be caught in the midst of things. Kylo pushed the man back until his cart was in full sight and then with a heavy flick of his arm, Force-shoved the man into his business.

And yet, it wasn't enough. Rey could still sense his boiling levels of anger. If the man wasn't already dead from the lack of oxygen or the collision, he soon would be.

Her conscious kicking in at the thought of a person dying over matters as trite as this shook Rey out of her reverie. She felt the first signs of guilt coming on, but didn't have time to worry about it, for Kylo was storming to the crumpled mass on the pile of broken wood and scattered goods. And then she saw him rip his lightsaber off its clip, hilt in his hand.

"Kylo, no!" she shouted

He stiffened. A moment of hesitation was all that she needed to spring to his side.

He refused to look at her. Rey decided to take matters into her own hands and grabbed the hilt of the unactivated lightsaber, but he wouldn't relinquish his grip on it.

"Kylo, that's enough!" she pleaded, concerned at how he wouldn't let this matter drop.

He turned around to stare at her and she gasped. His eyes burned with a fury beyond the likes of which she had ever seen. In his state, he appeared to be a demon. Someone who had lost themselves in their hatred.

"Kylo?"

"He touched you!" he snarled, and ripped the hilt from her grasp.

"Kylo!"

"He touched you, and so he must die." Kylo brandished the lightsaber at the unconscious man, but Rey wasn't about to give up so easily.

"Kylo!" she shouted again, and this time put her hands on his arms and spun him around. She could begin to see the inner conflict in him—one part of him wanted to feed the anger and kill the man, but the other was worried about how Rey would react if he did so.

"He's not worth it," Rey whispered this time, resting her hands on his chest. "Please don't."

She could see that it took all the control he had to not throw her off and thrust the lightsaber into the man and devoid him of his life. But when she leaned up to him, he relaxed and his mind became preoccupied with the soft lips that were touching his, even if it was only for a second.

"Better?" she asked, knowing the answer already. The fight in Kylo fizzled out, complacent by the tender kiss Rey had just bestowed him. The bond purred.

Rey removed herself from him and took the hilt of his lightsaber from him. This time, there was no opposition. Clicking it back into his belt, she took his hand and pulled him away from the carnage, over to where she knew Sula was waiting.

"Wait," Kylo deadpanned.

Rey stopped in her tracks. She saw him turn around to the man on the ground who was just beginning to show signs of stirring.

"Kylo—" she began, worried that he had changed his mind. But her fears were assuaged when all he did was pull out a few coins and throw them on the ground at the merchant's feet.

"Three hundred, as promised," he snarled. Then, he stepped closer to the merchant, kicking his feet to the side.

"P—Please," the merchant coughed.

Rey was standing off to the side, but she could hear everything that went down.

"I will only say this once, scum. If it were not for the girl, you would be dead. Whatever pitiful life you have now belongs to her. But rest assured, if I were to ever see you again and she was not with me, I will finish what I started."

Rey clicked her tongue. The man could so dramatic sometimes.

"Do you understand me?" Kylo asked, Force-calling his helmet over to his hand. He raised it up and it was blatant by the widening of the man's swollen eyes and stiffening of his limbs that he recognized the symbol.

"Y—Yes," he managed to teeter out.

"Good," Kylo retorted, before swooping low and picking the bag up with his hand. He walked back to Rey without a second glance at the carnage.

Rey wasn't sure how to approach him. She had never seen him this livid, and had never seen this side to him. If she was being completely honest, she was afraid of him. And yet, as he walked over to her, she couldn't help but realize that this demonstration was nothing more than a show of who he truly was, and the bond inside her knew that and still lashed out in warmth when he brushed his gloved fingers across her cheek.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

"I'm fine," she said, smiling. "I'm more worried about you than anything else, Kylo."

He returned her smile, revealing a side of vulnerability. Only she could put him in this state. Only she could do this to him.

Suddenly needing more than just the chaste peck she gave him, Rey bit her lip. By the looks of the way Kylo yanked her closer to him, he felt the same way. She melted into his embrace and tiptoed right as he leaned down. She was ready to open herself up to him and show him how he truly made her feel. She could feel his warm, fanning breath—

"I hope you realize this is has drawn the attention of everyone in the district."

Kylo's head lifted up at the same time Rey spun around. Sula was standing there with her long hair and silver eyes scrutinizing the damage Kylo had caused.

Kylo gave a low growl, eliciting a shiver out of Rey. But this time she felt the same way he did, irritated that an opportunity had been plucked away. She came to her reasoning first though, and her cheeks flamed when she saw the large crowd that had gathered around them. Merchants, children, men and women—all villagers—stared at her unabashedly. Maybe it wasn't as good of an opportunity as she had thought.

"Sula."

They had already lost too much time at whatever it was they came here to do. Rey took Kylo's helmet and stashed it into her bag, and did the same to Sula's.

"So…" she said, her cheeks still slightly flushed. "Where to?"

"There's a First Order post nearby. Our informant will fill us in when we get there."

Sula took the lead this time, glaring daggers at the villagers who still stood staring. They dispersed pretty quickly, and before long, the three of them fell into a crowd again, anonymous.

Rey and Kylo walked behind Sula. There was a tension in the air—one so thick Rey thought that if she began to talk out loud, he would attack her hungrily. So instead, a few minutes later, she mustered up the courage and took his hand, shivering at how the connection flared and shot bolts of electricity throughout their entire bodies from the origin of their touch. Kylo twitched, and she knew he could feel the same.

 _Perfect_.

Rey sharply inhaled at the deep voice in her head.

 _What is?_ she asked after clearing her throat.

 _You._

Rey flushed yet again and turned her head away from him, content but embarrassed. She understood that Kylo could now make her feel this way, but it was also augmented by their environment. Out here, they could be themselves. No one knew who Kylo and Sula were without their helmets, and to Rey, it was almost like an ordinary life. She felt like she blended in, as if she was a villager and not a Force-sensitive user that was caught in the middle of a galactic war. She felt _normal_.

This is a life she could get used to. This is a life she could see.

But the daydream was shattered and she was jerked to reality when they stopped. Another home that blended in with the rest of the buildings stood.

"This is it," Sula said.

The three of them began to cross through the door, Rey doing so tentatively. Kylo stepped in front of her and walked in shortly after Sula, and she recognized this as another one of his ways to protect her. In case the unexpected greeted them.

But there was nothing out of the ordinary. They stepped foot into a dimly-lit open area. The first thing that Rey noticed was that the place was like a bar, but it didn't only function to be only that. Even though it was only approaching late afternoon, the counter was already filled with villagers—around ten seats—drinking and having a good time, the only source of fun they could indulge in after a long day of work. Bottles of cheap liquor lined up on all three shelves behind the bartender as he worked nonstop, pouring shot after shot of brown alcohol.

Behind the bar was an area also jam-packed full of customers. The place was quaint and cozy, due to the absence of wooden tables and the presence of lounge furniture that sat occupied by socializing villagers. In one corner of the room was a table with a green covering that several people were playing a game on. They were hitting numbered balls with long sticks.

All in all, it seemed like a place they could seek refuge in. Rey found her grip on her weapon loosening, and by the visible drop of Sula's shoulders, she was certain she felt the same way. The only person who stood sentinel and was on guard was Kylo.

 _Keep your eyes out for trouble. Combining alcohol with people tends to provoke easy irascibility and fights._

 _Who is the informant we're looking for?_

 _There._

Kylo didn't point but Rey still knew who he was talking about with a mere look into his head. On the far side of the room was a brown settee, occupied by a single individual.

The three of them approached the man. Rey couldn't help but wonder what they looked like to the rest of the people in the bar. Did they think they were meeting with a friend? Did they know the Supreme Leader was in the room? No, they didn't, and the fact of the matter astounded her. Rey wondered how many times she was in the same situation, unaware at the danger that may had been present.

"What is this place?" Rey whispered to Sula while they weaved their way through the room.

Sula dipped her head so that she could whisper to Rey.

"A front for First Order operations. The city's inhabitants wouldn't take so kindly to it if it was revealed to them that this was First Order property."

"These are all—?"

"Yes. Commoners seeking an evening of indulgence. Their work hours are harsh, and this is where they come to blow off steam."

Rey looked around and found herself slowly growing disgusted. Men and women alike openly flirted like there was no tomorrow. She saw lusty eyes and wandering hands make contact with sensual nether regions; no one seemed to care. They all gave in to temptations.

She held a lot less respect for these people now. It seems like the working class wasn't all that innocent.

The informant scrambled to his feet when he saw the strangers approaching and grabbed three empty chairs nearby. His eyes lingered on Sula for a few seconds before catching the dark uniform of Kylo.

"S—Supreme Leader, sir!"

It was lucky that no one could hear them above the chatter. Otherwise, there might've been an upscale commotion at the sound of the informant's addressment. Rey doubted the informant thought about this before he spoke, however, given the quivering mess he was at the mere sight of Kylo. She rolled her eyes before giving him a run over. He was the same height as Rey and shorter than Kylo and Sula. He was dressed just like the other male villagers, in simple scraps of clothing with utility boots on his feet. There was a slight odiferous smell emanating out of him, as if he hadn't showered for days. Streaks of dust and dirt and whatever else coated his face and hands, giving her the impression of a scavenger on Jakku who worked their fingers to the bone.

"It has been brought to my attention that you have new information regarding Damesh," Kylo started, after the three of them sat down. The chairs were spread out a little too far for her liking, so Rey scooted her chair closer to Kylo's. This didn't go unnoticed by the informant.

Well, at least Kylo knew how to get straight to the point.

The spy lingered his eyes on Sula before launching into his new findings. Rey wondered how much alcohol he had consumed already. If she was in his shoes and were told that she would be imparting information to the Supreme Leader…

"Damesh's center of operations are close to the edge of East Rost. Not too close to the exit as to draw suspicion, but close enough to leave without a moment's notice as soon as he breaches security."

"We came from the East. Do you have a pinpoint location?" Rey piped.

"No, but there is something I learned through my contacts. As you know, Stormtroopers have been stationed near all exits. I believe Damesh, and my justifications are due to word of mouth that he is planning to gun through tonight."

"And how does he do that without setting off all alarms?" Sula asked him. The man turned around and kept his eyes on Sula far too long for it to be comfortable before answering her.

"That I do not know. But it'd have to be something big."

"Army recruitment, tunneling underground, flying out of here…I see many ways for him to escape without our knowledge."

"With the technology here, tunneling underground would take months, if not years to complete. Flying is not an option either, for all ships that enter are tagged and are guarded around the clock after the fiasco with the transport vessels."

"And they army?" Rey asked.

"It would be foolish. Stormtroopers patrol the streets every evening and sweep random houses. There is no way Damesh could have amassed a large enough army in this short time period without someone spilling the beans on him."

He said all this while his eyes were plastered on Sula, and suddenly, Rey knew what was on his mind. She didn't need to see the glassy stare or the small licks of his facial hair surrounding his lips with his tongue to understand what was going on. Sula was virtually an exotic species in her own right.

"I'm going to go scour the room," Sula muttered, before standing up. It was apparent she had noticed his open staring too.

Even though Sula was wearing heavy black clothes obscuring most of her body, the man still craned his head a little to the left as she left them, trying unashamedly to stare at her behind.

Rey growled, and this jolted the man out of his drunken peering. She wanted nothing more but to take two steps forward and pummel the man with her fists. People like that…

 _Relax, scavenger. I can sense your anger._

Rey jumped slightly at the sudden voice in her head. She peered at Kylo, whose face was impassive.

 _He deserves it,_ she responded. _How dare he!_

 _As much as I appreciate seeing you riled up at anyone besides me, it would be in your best interest to stay calm. The last thing we need is an altercation._

Well. That was the last thing Rey expected him to say.

 _Aren't you all for fights? Passion is key_ , she recited to him.

 _You are welcome to dispose of him later._

Rey recognized the meaning behind his words. She thought to herself. The merchant was one situation, but the spy? He obviously objectified Sula, and Rey was not happy about that. She was not happy about it at all. But that still wasn't enough to warrant Kylo Ren's so-called 'disposal'.

 _No. I won't dispose him. As much as I loathe this man, he does not deserve death. You will not manipulate me into killing someone._

 _Manipulate?_

 _Yes, manipulate._

Kylo waved her off, and it took her a second to realize that he had actually waved his hand in response to the conversation that the man was having with him. It just so coincidentally happened that the hand wave was appropriate for both of them.

Rey fumed, but this turned dissipated when she saw Sula saunter back to them.

"All clear," she said, plopping down in her chair. Rey took a closer look at her. She seemed a bit more…

"Sula, did you have something to drink?"

Sula sheepishly grinned. Kylo ignored her instead of chastising her, which led Rey to believe that he had seen this behavior of hers before.

"Sometimes I need to loosen up. This helps."

"As I was saying," the spy continued, returning his eyes back on Sula. It took a tremendous amount of effort for Rey to not slap the look off his face. "Damesh and his men are making a run for it tonight. I've been told it won't be off the radar either. This is going to be something huge. Does the First Order have any reinforcements?"

"That is outside your jurisdiction to ask, spy," Kylo retorted. "The First Order is well-prepared to handle an issue such as this."

"Suit yourself," the spy said. Rey saw Kylo's hand twitch. "And for my payment?"

"Five thousand credits, as promised."

The man licked his lips. Rey could practically hear his brain greed at the prospect of money. "Wired to my account?"

"That would be the case, but I have now changed my mind."

"Changed your mind? What do you mean?"

"You have been disrespectful to my Knight of Ren, spy. A crime that is worth well more than five thousand. I will be rescinding my offer."

"You can't do that!" the man protested, getting to his feet. "We had a deal!"

Kylo stood up and towered over the man. Rey could see the spy's throat bulge as he swallowed nervously.

"I am the Supreme Leader. I can do anything," he smirked. "Be grateful that your only loss tonight was money, and not your life."

 _You are a cruel person, Kylo,_ Rey communicated. But this time it was in jest. Her heart was not into rewarding what the man wanted.

"This isn't fair!"

Kylo raised his hand up but didn't act. "Nothing is fair. You fail to realize you are nothing beneath me. You are disposable. I would recommend not pushing your luck anymore."

The man only needed to talk one look at the position Kylo's hand was in before something clicked in his head. He fell back onto the settee. After collecting a couple of belongings that fell out of his pocket, he shot them all a dirty look before scrambling off.

"Now that we know Damesh is planning to escape tonight, I will have to take action. I shall call my Knights together and patrol the night. Sula will come with me. Rey—"

"Before you say anything, I'm going with you."

"Rey, it is dangerous, and you could be—"

"What you don't see is that this is a two-way street," Rey argued. " _You_ could very well be injured, and I would rather not sit around knowing that there was something I could've done to help."

"So be it. I will also have my Knights keep an eye on you."

"I can take care of myself, Kylo. I don't care—" Rey began, but was interrupted.

"Wait. Did you hear that?" Sula said all of a sudden. Her voice surprised Rey, for it had been minutes since she'd last heard her speak. She almost forgot Sula was in the room.

"Hear what?" Rey asked. She looked over at Kylo to see him with an equally blank look.

Rey turned back to her.

"Sula, are you certain this isn't the alcohol—"

Rey stopped as she not only heard, but also felt. The ground shook violently beneath their feet, and the lights flickered above. Empty glasses of alcohol were thrown onto the floor, shattering into a million shards. The massive tremor could only mean one thing.

"It's an earthquake," Rey said.

"That's impossible. The oil fields are outside the danger zone and can't trigger them. There has yet to be an earthquake on this planet for as long as people have lived here. They are not natural occurrences," Sula answered.

As if to prove her wrong, a new shock came, almost throwing all of them to their feet. The rest of the people in the bar, although drunk, had begun to understand what was going on. Screams of panic and mad jostles as they vacated the bar permeated Rey's ears until one voice spoke clear.

"Sula."

Rey saw Sula whip out her knives and twirl them around her fingers. Rey herself called her lightsaber to her palm, keeping it at the ready.

"This isn't an earthquake."

"I must admit, nothing has gone according to plan today."

 _Kylo_.

"It's Damesh."


	10. Chapter 10

Sorry for the late update, school's been excruciatingly busy. I go on break this Friday though, after my finals. Really looking forward to that!

I hope the writing quality isn't diminishing. Please let me know what you think about it. If you like it, review! If you hate it, well, also review!

* * *

"Let's go," Kylo commanded. Rey and Sula both followed him as he left the tavern.

As soon as they stepped outside, Rey's eyes widened.

"Maker—" her voice left her throat at the sight.

The sky was dark, but it wasn't entirely pitch-black, for it was only early in the evening. However, that wasn't what caught Rey's eyes. Somewhere in the distance, there was an enormous plume of smoke, dust, and fire rising into the night sky like a wildfire out of control.

People around them were scrambling for cover, in a loud bustle and screaming as they observed the ungodly sight in the sky. Something bad had happened. Something really bad.

Rey almost toppled over when another tremendous boom shook the ground beneath her feet. Villagers began clamoring in the opposite direction, and Rey spun on her feet to see another cloud of carnage began to seep upwards.

"They've split up!" she heard Sula shouted over the screaming. "They're distracting us!"

Kylo furiously whipped out his communicator and muttered something into it. Rey couldn't hear what he said over the noise.

"Jarrok will be nearby and patrolling several side entrances. Deimos, Leo, and Lype will be working their way into the city from their posts."

"And me?" Rey heard Sula ask, while she pulled out her helmet.

"You will be joining them, Sula. They will reach the outskirts of the east sector momentarily. Keep your communicator turned on. I have informed them of your soon arrival."

"Yes, Supreme Leader!" She turned around to leave, but Rey reached out and grabbed her hand.

"Sula," she said, biting her lip in worry. "Please be safe."

Sula gave her a real smile before putting on her mask. And then she left. It only took a few seconds before she lost herself in the storm of panicked civilians.

"Rey…" Kylo muttered. If it was anything else other than her name that came out of him, she was sure she would have missed it.

"Before you start," she warned, walking up to him. She took his face and smeared her lips over his before tearing herself off of him. "We're in this together. There is no you, and there is no me. Only us."

There was a dark passion in his eyes and Rey realized that if it were for the life-threatening situation they were in, he would have ravaged her on the spot. A small thrill ran through her at the prospect of that, but she quickly stifled it.

"What are we going to do?"

"Keep your mind on your lightsaber. Don't hesitate to bring it to use. No doubt Damesh and his men are already plotting out their course for escape."

Just as he finished speaking, another loud boom ricocheted through the distance.

"We're running out of time."

The two of them turned toward the nearest explosion. The same plan came to mind and the two started running toward the destruction. It only made sense to go observe the damage that was closest to them in case if it led them to any clues or even to the perpetrators themselves. Their journey was made difficult, however, by the hordes of civilians that were running in the opposite direction. Rey felt a brief disturbance in the Force as Kylo pushed through the mass of dozens and realized that his patience at the villagers blocking their path was dwindling.

But eventually, they made it through to the site where the smoke was rising up. Or at least, Rey thought they did.

What used to be a little block full of peddler shops and personal homes was now nothing more than an empty square full of debris from the wooden carts and foundation of the buildings. There were several enormous gaping cracks in the ground before them, and they ran on for quite a long distance before making way to large empty holes in the ground.

Rey walked over to one and immediately stepped back when she saw just how deep it was. It didn't make sense to her. Why was there only a few places in the area that had these gaping holes that stretched as deep as her eyes could see?

The concept of being alone, with only Kylo by her side, in a place that used to be so full of life unsettled her. Rey could still see the charred remains of peddler wares littered into a million pieces on the floor. There were articles of shredded clothes and tinkering toys that lay still, their worthiness stripped from them by their destruction.

It was nothing more than a wasteland.

"Why would Damesh do such a thing?" she found herself asking. Her fists were balled in fury. "Why?"

All this death. All this destruction. The ruin of dozens, if not hundreds of villagers' homes. Their lives would never be the same because of this. All because of…

"I don't know, Rey. I don't know," she heard him say. His answer wasn't good enough for her.

She took it out on the only person she could: Kylo.

Walking up to him, she shoved him. Hard. He was caught off guard and stumbled back a few steps before righting himself with a confused and deadly look in his face.

"How _could_ you!" she hissed, ready to pounce again. " _You_ did this! You and the cowardly First Order are the causes of _all_ of this!"

Kylo seemed to gather himself and stepped forward, his anger rivaling her own.

"You will not _dare_ accuse me nor the First Order of such heinous acts!" he seethed. "Or are you that desperate to place your anger on the only outlet available to you?!"

"You've ruined their lives! If it wasn't for the stupid First Order, this would have never happened to begin with! If you just worked together with the people of Rost, then Damesh wouldn't have even attacked the ships to begin with!"

"The transport vehicles were only here for a scheduled refueling! You out of everyone knows how valuable this planet's fuel resources are!"

Rey laughed. Not a happy, bubbling one, but a dark mocking one. Her hand twitched. She wanted so eagerly to rip her lightsaber out and fight Kylo with it.

"Damesh wasn't tagging along and following the stupid First Order! He _lived_ here and took his chance when he could! And now, because he knows we're in Rost, he's decided to ransack the place! Or was that not obvious enough for you to determine, _Kylo_?" she spat.

There was another explosion in the near distance, but Rey was far too involved with the matter at hand. She wanted him to see his ways, and to see how his recent method of governing was, in short, wrong.

"We can't argue about this now!" Kylo vented. It was obvious he had heard the explosion too.

Rey wanted to do just that to spite Kylo, but her ears picked up another sound. This one was much softer, but it caught her attention far more than the explosions did.

Her eyes widened and her head spun to the sound. All the fight and anger immediately evaporated out of her as she found herself spring toward the heavy destruction.

"Kylo!" she shouted, not waiting to see if he'd respond. "I need your help!"

She reached the spot where she heard the sound and listened for another cry of help, but she couldn't.

"Hello?" she vocalized, feeling slightly foolish at talking to the inanimated debris in front of her.

There was no response. Maybe she was imagining things…

But then she heard the same weak voice. She could feel Kylo's Force change as he shifted from angry and petulant to surprise just as she had moments ago.

"Get out of the way," he growled, shoving Rey over to the side. Rey didn't even feel him touch her. All she could focus on was the caught civilian buried beneath.

She didn't even have to ask to know what Kylo was doing. His hands lifted up in their black gloves and all the destroyed material began to shift and clutter about as they lifted up. He worked layer by layer, taking care to dump the excess debris elsewhere that would be of no hindrance to their operations. Before long, Rey could see a bloody hand.

"Kylo! There!"

Kylo continued to work with the Force and lifted up object after object until there was enough space for Rey to squeeze in and tug the person out by their hand.

"There. Is that more along the lines of the kind of person you want me to be?"

Rey ignored his remark and focused on pulling the person out. The progress was slow, but sure. However, Rey lost her balance at her last tug, but still managed to get the villager out in one piece. She collapsed on her bottom at the physics of it but got up immediately at the sight before her eyes.

The person had lost a lot of blood—that much she knew. There was hardly any space on the surface of their body that wasn't covered in blood, except a few spots on their face. She couldn't even tell if it was a man or woman until she noticed the distraught, long locks that fell down past her head and to her chest.

"Hello?" she asked.

Rey tried shaking her next, but there was still no response. The person's eyes were closed and she wasn't moving.

Her breath caught. This couldn't be happening…

Rey shook her again but was presented with the same results. "No, no, no," she chanted. She pressed her fingers against the side of the victim's neck and tried to test for a pulse.

But there was none.

"No, no!" Her voice began to rise and paranoia began to set in. She leaned her ear down to the woman's heart and tried as hard as she could to hear for something—anything that would bestow to her that there was life. But there were no thuds and there weren't any pulses.

"No. You can't. You can't be dead!" Tears began to cascade down Rey's face, but she couldn't feel them over the raw pain of someone who was alive not minutes ago now dead. It couldn't be. She refused to accept it.

Rey pushed her hands on the woman's chest and called the Force to her. It was so hard for her to concentrate, but the Force seemed to agree with her decision and came to her fingertips with ease. She felt the warmth of green light bathe over the woman's chest, trying its hardest to repair her cells.

There was a voice. She could barely hear him.

"Rey…it's no use."

"Don't tell me that!" she snarled at him. "Don't! Keep your lies to yourself!"

She pushed the Force within her even harder, to a higher level than she ever had before. She brimmed with pure, unadulterated power and her hands glowed a green so bright that her eyes began to hurt.

But she couldn't feel any signs of life.

"Come on, damn it!" she pleaded. If possible, her power grew even larger until it threatened to consume her. She could feel her body groaning against how much energy she was exerting. Her chest began to hurt and her arms began to feel like heavy weights had been attached to her elbows. She knew she was weakening, but she couldn't give up. Even if only there was a small chance to save her, she had to take it.

There was an almighty heave of disruptance that suddenly pushed her away from the woman. The break in contact caused Rey's Force healing to simmer out, and the sight of the destroyed homes and dirty surroundings came back to her field of vision. She blinked twice, eviscerating the tears that were in her eyes as she slowly came to realize what had happened.

"How could you!" she screamed at Kylo as hard as she could through her shallow breaths. "I was going to save her!"

Rey got to her feet. Or, at least, tried to. She wobbled and fell back down the ground, but was then helped to her feet by Kylo.

"You couldn't have. She was dead. It's impossible to reanimate a person after they have passed."

"I don't care!" she shouted. Rey knew she was being petulant, but the opportunity that was ripped away from her absolutely _destroyed_ her on the inside. She had the power to save her, and she didn't.

"Enough, Rey! Do you hear me? You _can't_ save her! You would die!"

"I don't care!"

"Listen to yourself! Stop it!"

"I don't _care_!"

"Well, I do! You'd die!" Kylo spun her around and roared in her face. "You'd die!"

At the panic in his voice, she stopped. There was anger embedded in his features, but she looked beyond that—beyond the annoyance and darkness in his eyes, to something that held much more vulnerability.

For a second, she saw what Kylo would have become if she let the Force take her life. And just like that, the fight left her.

"I'm sorry," she sobbed, breaking down in his arms. She saw. She saw pure, genuine fear. Fear at what would happen to him if she left him.

"I'm sorry," she said again. "I'm so sorry."

At her apology, Kylo's shoulders slumped and the fight left him. She could feel his embrace covering her small frame, and the thought of it warmed her and filled her with a strange peace.

But now wasn't the time to dote on such feelings. For the second time in an hour, Rey had to chide herself. She needed to put her own personal feelings aside and do whatever she could in her power to help the people of Rost.

"Kylo, we need to see how many people are injured. We have to save as many people as we can."

Kylo stiffened and then released her. Rey immediately missed the warmth. She almost regretted saying anything at all by the sudden look of annoyance on his face.

"We can't."

"We—"

"We can't!" he repeated, this time shouting. "Our mission here is to find Damesh and his men, not sit behind and rescue people."

Rey opened her mouth to argue but was cut off.

"I know what you are thinking. But we can't do this. We neither have the time nor the resources to do so."

Kylo saw her slumped gesture and didn't like it one bit. He grit his teeth at the girl in front of him. If only they would spend less time fighting.

Rey saw him whip out his communication device.

"Stormtroopers, leave your stations and route to where the explosions are. I want everyone to start digging. Look for any survivors."

Rey's eyes widened. Was Kylo really doing this?

A moment passed and she realized that he actually was doing this. Sacrificing part of his beliefs in order to fulfill hers. A strange glow warmed her heart and she couldn't help the smile that lifted to her face. He saw this and for a second, Rey could see them, just the two of them, having a life of their own—away from the war, and away from the troubles. With nothing to bother them.

But that's why it was called wishful thinking. Rey was jerked out of her thoughts when Kylo's voice rang again.

"We need to go."

Rey gave him conformation and the two of them set off again. She turned around to look at the deceased villager one last time, her heart wrenching as she took in the sight of a dirty, serene face void of all worry. Did she find her peace in her last moments of life? Or was it suffering until the bitter end?

The two of them weaved through the relatively empty roads. The city's inhabitants appeared to have already left the premise. The roads were dark and desolate, with only nearby lamps standing sentinel and casting their tiny glow of light over the small area they were erected in. Not a single soul passed by in the direction they were going, and Rey's ponderings were only further verified when she heard the massive roar of several passenger ships lifting off the ground. From the distance they were in, the ships were nothing more than strange figures floating in the sky.

"Kylo!" she pulled on his arm to get him to stop running.

"What?" Kylo asked. His eyes then followed her finger to where it was pointing at. He understood the voiceless question that Rey asked him.

"No. They are the villagers. The ships are employed by the government and used only in emergencies."

"Couldn't have Damesh sneaked on board?"

"I highly doubt it. The man is a wanted fugitive. No one would willingly allow him to seek shelter. Even if he somehow were to sneak aboard amongst hundreds of individuals, someone would be bound to recognize him."

"What, then?"

"He must have a ship off-site, somewhere away from the city. Possibly even further than where we la—"

Rey sensed the danger at the same time Kylo stopped talking and both of them moved as one entity. Her first instinct was to duck, and she did so, feeling the narrow miss of a blade as the hand that it belonged to stabbed out of the darkness around the corner of the street that they were standing in. She could sense Kylo spin around, parrying another strike of the assailant's blade with his already-activated lightsaber. He gave another brief parry and then jumped back toward Rey.

"Come out!" he snarled, pointing his weapon in the dark.

There was no verbal response. The next thing they knew, a blaster bolt shot towards them. Kylo reached out and froze it.

Rey drew her lightsaber as well, holding it close her face like she was accustomed to and lighted it. Two beams shot out, one on each end. With the combined light of their weapons, Rey could vaguely begin to see who was around the corner. And it was a second later that she realized it wasn't who that was the question, but how many.

Several bulky shadows all made their way out from their hiding spot around the corner and stood in full presence in front of the two. Rey gasped. Kylo was no small man, but almost all of their attackers were either the same size, if not larger than he was. Each of them were dressed in black with several inconspicuous weapons at their side. Many of them had opted to go for a medieval era, donning swords and daggers as long as her arm. Several more of them had blaster rifles that mirrored Han Solo's. Scraps or cloth wrapped around their head and face, leaving only their eyes blistering full of hatred available for her to see.

Rey swiveled her head, adrenaline storming in her veins. She counted a dozen. Twelve strong men standing before them with their knees bent, ready to fight.

The man standing before his comrades took a few steps forward and Rey bristled. Kylo's body was pressed on hers, and she could feel him tense as well.

"If it isn't the Supreme Leader, filth of the First Order," the man spewed. He pulled down the mask covering his mouth and spat at Kylo's feet. "Scum."

"Get out of our way."

The man laughed, and several of his cohorts behind him did as well. A mixture of chortles rose around Rey's ears before quickly dying away.

The man spoke again.

"That isn't possible. We—"

Whatever he was saying was lost to Rey's ears at the sudden presence of Kylo's voice in her mind. It was rough and encroached.

 _Damesh's men. He's not here._

 _We have to go after him!_

 _I know, Rey. But his henchmen are not going to let us go. I'll try to keep them distracted while you go meet up with the rest of my Knights_

Rey froze. _No._

She knew Kylo wanted to argue but he couldn't do so without giving something away. Their enemies across from them hadn't realized the silent conversation going on between the pair.

 _Rey, this is no joke! These men are dangerous and are not looking to capture._

"Our conflicts lie with your leader, not you. Surrender and we will spare your lives," she heard Kylo say out loud.

 _Let me tell you one thing, Kylo. Listen well, because I'm not going to repeat myself. We are in this together. Together! I am not going to let you fight all twelve of these men. You may be strong, but not invincible._

 _I can take care of them just fine._

 _Then your worries will be lessened, because together, we have double the force._

"What a surprise!" the leader cackled, bringing them conversation to a standstill. "I sure wasn't expecting Kylo Ren in the flesh himself! Boss sure will be surprised when we bring back your head. Although, I must say, you're a lot less intimidating without your helmet on." The man settled his eyes on a certain area of Kylo's face. "And a lot uglier too. Who gave you that scar? I'd like to thank them for it."

Rey could feel Kylo's eyes involuntarily flicker to her. This didn't go unnoticed by the leader of the group.

"Oh ho!" he cackled, leaning back and pointing his finger accusingly at Kylo. "Your little apprentice playtoy? I should give her a token of appreciation."

For the first time since the meeting, the man settled his eyes on Rey. She could feel the hairs on her arms immediately stiffen at his voracious gaze and the way his eyes scoured her up and down. There was almost a hungry look to his face, and Rey didn't need to read his mind to know what he was thinking. She wanted to throw up.

"Although I should probably give her just more than my gratitude, eh? Something much warmer and personal than that. What do you think, girl? My men have been slaving away days for this operation, and they're getting a little restless. Why don't we just take you back to our base after killing the Supreme Leader? It's time for you to get a new _master_."

The end of his spiel had the rest of the men laughing and it was in this split second of brief weakness that everyone let down their guard. Everyone except Kylo.

The man was pulled over to him faster than lightning—in fact, so fast that if Rey had blinked she would have missed the interaction. Kylo didn't even bother raising his hand. It was as something else entirely possessed him at the thought of Rey being enslaved. The man soared over to Kylo and he didn't even have time to react.

Right before the demonic roar of Kylo's blade plunged right through his chest.

A static silence enveloped the clearing—a silence so thick that it warned no one to breathe. The only attention of focus was on the small dip of the head of the leader as he comprehended for a tiny second in time on what had happened to him before his shoulders slumped and his weight sagged. Kylo pulled his blade out of the man's chest and brandished it off to the slide as the leader collapsed to the ground, one last measly breath evaporating out of his mouth before he died.

For the longest time, nobody moved. Everyone across from there was staring at the ground, dumbfounded and even more dumbstruck at their slain leader. They were in disbelief and didn't move at all until the sharp sizzle of Kylo's lightsaber drew their attention back to him. Back to them.

Even though their faces were covered, Rey could still spectate their body language tensing and the look in their eyes as it hit them one at a time, like a mass crowd effect.

And then they charged at them.

Whether it were battle roars coming from their mouths or cries of desperation, Rey didn't have any time to react. They were on her and Kylo immediately, unsheathing their weapons and slashing at them wildly with little finesse. Rey blocked one man's attack with her staff saber and immediately twirled it around afterward, resetting it into a defensive position. Her slice had cut right through the pommel of his sword, but she had no time to breathe a sigh of relief before another man took his place.

Rey didn't want to turn on the offensive, but being defensive was not going to work out forever. All the men obviously had training experience when it came to fighting, and if their weapons had exhausted their use, then they resorted with their fists. This made it very difficult for Rey. She was getting pushed back at her refusal to cut them down.

A defeated groan came from a few lengths away and Rey turned her head toward it as she jumped out of range of her current attacker to see another person drop at Kylo's blade.

"What are you doing?!" he snarled at her, his hair wet from the blood of his victim. "Kill them!" His voice was then cut off as he had to return his attention to a blaster shot from a ways off while dealing with the man in front of him.

Rey stubbornly grunted, shoving the man on top of her away with a brutal thrust forward of her hilt. She refocused her attention and felt the Force swarming within her. The man with the blaster rifle was still shooting, and it put Kylo in a predicament. She felt concerned, and then her fight or flight instinct was replaced by something more concrete—her teachings from Kylo.

Follow her emotions.

Rey took a deep breath and allowed for her concern to find steady ground and plant itself firmly inside her. She could feel the need to let it expand, and she gave in, letting the concern grow and manifest until it became far more than the small speck it was in the beginning. It rippled through her entire being until all she could see was Kylo and the danger he was in.

Rey screamed and Force-blasted the man on top of her. He crumpled to the side and stopped moving. She jumped to her feet pushed everyone coming after her with a mere swipe of her hand. They flew off to the side and cleared the path that led her to the man shooting.

Rey wasted no time and sprinted to him. The man had heard the sound of his comrades screams as the Force heaved into them, but he was focused on trying to get a shot in on Kylo. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a figure in black wielding a large glowing red weapon.

She was too fast for him. Rey closed the last couple of steps with a single breeze and in one fell swoop, cleaved the gun in half. Armed and defenseless, the man took a terrified step backwards, only to lose his balance and fall flat on his back.

There was a dark seed growing in Rey. She stared at the man beneath her feet and the darkness only served to spread more throughout her. There he was, cowering at her power, cowering at the control she had over him. Cowering at how the fate of his life rested in the hands of a young woman with an upright sneer coating her features.

"Wait—wait!" he shouted when he saw the blade stabbing downward.

Rey paused. There was something in his voice that stopped her. A vulnerability that perhaps indicated that his heart was not truly into serving Damesh voluntarily. An indication that he was maybe forced against his will to.

"Please don't! Don't kill me! You don't want to kill me!"

Rey squeezed the hilt of her blade. All it would take for her was to drive the blade into his chest with a simple push. He had attacked them. He had endangered Kylo's life. Someone who she deeply cared about.

But before she could give in to the darkness, another man came at her from the side. She had to quickly yield her weapon, bringing it up with one hand and deflecting the gun's bolt elsewhere. But the interaction that played made it so that her view was briefly obscured for a split second, which was all that the attacker needed to take advantage of her by tackling her roughly into the ground. Rey could feel her lightsaber deactivate and roll away from her on the ground.

"Not so tough without your boyfriend now, aren't you?" the man growled, spittle flying into her face.

Rey grunted and lashed out with her foot, but he read into her attack and caught her strike.

"Anyone can see your hesitancy from a block away, girly. I'd easily wager my life that if you knew the real truth, you wouldn't be doing this."

The fact that there was a humongous man camped on top of her sent Rey's distress to a whole new level and she utilized the dangerous situation to her advantage, tilting her fingers to the side and Force-pushing him off her. She heaved him over to the side and then scrambled to her feet, calling over her weapon and igniting it once again.

"You don't want to be a murderer like him! You're fighting for the wrong side!" the boy who had the blaster rifle mimicked off to the side, seemingly coming out of his petrified state. "You don't know what you've gotten yourself into!"

His words briefly cut through the dark emotions that she harnessed, and a spark of insecurity began to well inside Rey. She could familiarize herself with the position he was in. When she got dragged into the war, she had made it her mission to take down the First Order. Just like these men had.

And now she was fighting for them. Oh, stars.

The heavier man could now easily discern the small gleam of reticence in Rey's psyche, and he utilized it.

" _Kylo Ren_ is nothing more than a soulless monster. You want to know why I fight for Damesh? Why I fight for freedom?" he spat, tumbling closer to Rey. "Huh?"

She should stop him. She should stop him from moving forward. One simple thrust. That's all it would take.

But she couldn't.

"I was the same as you," he sneered. "In existence to only mind my own business while the First Order tore apart any opposers in the galaxy. I lived on a nice peaceful planet. Nobody thought we would ever get tangled up in this mess."

"But then _he_ came," the man pointed, accusing Kylo. Rey's eyes flitted to him and saw that he had stopped fighting; in fact, all the remaining soldiers that were still alive had paused in their endeavor to slice him down. Their attention had been diverted at the verbal confrontation between Rey and the man in front of her.

"He came and ransacked the whole planet. With a single blast from a massive weapon belonging to the First Order."

Rey's stomach swooped. _Starkiller Base_.

"Killed everyone on the planet. I was away on business but I returned home to nothing but obliterated remains of rock floating around in space. You want to know who died? Millions. And amongst those, my family. My wife and my two kids. By this man, without a single shred of remorse!"

He finished his story and a gloomy silence fell over the clearing. The only sounds in the vicinity were the heavy breaths and the two lightsabers crackling in the area. A second later, Rey turned hers off.

 _What are you doing?!_

Rey ignored him.

 _Rey, he is trying to get under your skin! Don't let the enemy do this to you!_

 _Is it true?_ Rey's voice came out in nothing more than a thought's whisper and this seemed to stupefy Kylo.

 _You have first-handedly experienced Starkiller Base._

 _That doesn't answer the question._

 _I do not know, Rey. What he said may or may not be true. There were a lot of planets. I—_

 _Then it's true. You have already forgotten about it—a testament to how soulless you truly are._

She knew her remark would sting a thousand times more than when the man said it to her, and her feeling was verified by the sudden weakness she sensed within Kylo.

 _You have killed so many people that they are now all faceless._

"So what do you say? I see you're using a lightsaber. We could use someone as powerful as you on our side. I know what you truly want. You want to see the First Order lay to ruin also. We can do that. With your help, we can do that. Someone as strong as you could lead us further on the path to victory."

Rey shook her head, her mind already set.

"No. My loyalties may not lie with the First Order but they do not lie with yours either. You lot are no better than him," Rey said, chest tightening. "You have slaughtered a countless amount of innocent villagers, all to satisfy your operation. You all are nothing more than _cowards._ "

The man sneered, his lip curling up in a vindictive expression. "So be it. Men!"

Rey whipped her head around. How could she have been so foolish and let him distract her?

Two men were on Kylo. There was one on each side, pulling on his arms until they were outstretched and locked in place. His lightsaber lay useless on the ground and his legs were kicking up in the air furiously in an attempt to break free from his disablers. A moment later, two more men ran up and yanked him by his legs, effectively locking all of his limbs in place. A fifth man stepped forward, scooping up the lightsaber and—

"No!" Rey screamed. Her vision turned red.

And the next thing she knew, Kylo's lightsaber flipped around in what would be Kylo's assassin's hand and lighted itself, spearing the would-be assailant straight through the heart.

He dropped to the ground. One down.

The unexpected death caused the four men to slightly relax their hold on Kylo as the viewed the gaping hole through the man's chest.

And that's all he needed. Kylo utilized their distractedness by pulling his arms forward and smashing two of the men together by their face before pulling his arms out. Rey was already waiting for him, and threw him his lightsaber after he broke free. He caught it with his hand and ignited it.

"What I said was true, you know. Every bit of it. But I knew you wouldn't join us. You're too dark. You and his weapon…they're the same. I can feel the evil coming from it. We can't take chances."

The remaining men closed around them.

 _This is nothing different than the throne room._

Rey growled. There was something animalistic possessing over her and it was Kylo's steady voice that set her off. The fact he could remain collected even in a moment like this. He, at least, did not have a conflict of loyalty. She had to release the pent-up frustration at everything—Kylo, the First Order, the Force, their attackers, and mostly herself—and Rey did just that, targeting the men in front of her. It was so unlike her to just give in. It was easy, but it threw her down into a path of someone she never wanted to become. But she couldn't fight it. It was too much. It was too hard. She held her own on Jakku. She held her own when she discovered the Force. But for the first time in her life, she succumbed to this. The sting of Kylo's betrayal and her own denial and uncertainties pushed her into a tiny box. The only way out was to give up. And she did.

The men stood silent, waiting for the recently-promoted leader to engage. He stood silent, cocking his head over to the side, waiting to see Rey's reaction.

Rey smirked. If they wanted to fight, then they would get a fight. She didn't even wait for them to make the first move. She ran straight at them, igniting her lightsaber as she did so.

In the end, their attackers didn't stand a chance. They were simple men caught in a battle against two Force users. Hardly fair. With Kylo's determination and Rey's rage, they made quick work of them. Rey gave them the most painless death she could—a quick stab through their hearts, while what remained of her shrouded morality involuntarily clenched hers at every pained expression she caused. At every life she took. At the life essence that she ripped away.

She had just finished striking a man down after spinning around and parrying one of his attacks with her lightsaber to her back. She turned around and saw Kylo had just disposed of his own victim. The two stood there, panting heavily and facing each other with their lightsabers ignited—the tip of Kylo's was pointing down at the ground, while she had her hand behind her back, holding the ignited blades behind her. She realized this and quickly drew it forward and shut hers off. Part of her hair had fallen out of its bun and she brushed it aside to get a better view of him. His expression was inscrutable but he walked up to her nonetheless.

"Thank you. For saving me." He took off his glove. She felt a firm squeeze of her hand. What felt right now felt wrong. Rey half-heartedly shrugged his grip off of her.

"Rey?"

He stepped around the carnage beneath his feet to move closer to her. Rey didn't move.

"Rey…" he said, this time softer. "My time under Snoke was filled with many mistakes. If I was giving the commands, I would not have done what I had done."

Rey stood there, unblinking and unseeing. She didn't know anything but one thing: she couldn't deal with him right now. She had always known and told herself that he was guilty of his atrocities, but hearing the same condemnation from another person—a person who had dealt with the torment himself—unsettled her more than anything ever. She knew he was full of hate, but the brief second he caught the small glimpses in his eyes when they were face-to-face spoke otherwise. The sensation of his lips on hers spoke otherwise. His presence said otherwise.

Rey turned away, her back facing him. There was another explosion, but the sound was infinitesimal in her own storm.

"Rey. Do you really believe me to be a soulless monster still? I have changed. You have changed me. You know it to be true. You can feel it. Now that Snoke is dead, I have no fear of hiding anymore. I would not have been able to heal you. You must believe me."

She knew that if she turned around she would lose all poise. The moment she stared into his eyes would be the moment that she broke down and cried and let all of her conflictions loose.

So she did the only thing she could. She pulled the aches in her body together and ran away. Without looking back. Kylo shouted out her name and tried to stop her, but Rey called the Force and threw at him all things that were available—the cadavers and weapons on the ground, the nearby streetlights—and distracted him with everything. As she ran, she finally let the dam break and all the tears that she had been holding in slipped out and fell onto the dirt road, leaving a wet trail in her steps. She clamped down on the connection between the two of them until it was squeezed so thinly that all it would take was a simple bend of her metaphoric wrist to snap it.

But no matter how thin it got, it wouldn't snap. So Rey did the second best thing: she covered it. She covered it with all the lost souls, all the torn lives fallen victim to the First Order. She covered it until she could no longer feel it.

That wasn't all. It took her a while before she discovered the root of her unsteady emotions. It wasn't just Kylo she was uncertain about, no. The trail of lifeless corpses not far behind her would forever be etched into her mind. Guilt struck. While running, Rey brought a hand up over her heart to her tunic and gripped it tightly.

It was herself. She was a monster.


	11. Chapter 11

Sorry for the late update guys. I've been slaving away at home. My parents have been renovating for quite a while and they saw me as an extra pair of hands and put me to good use. This is the last chapter that I have currently written - the future chapters will be whenever I have time. As of now, I'll still try to update every Wednesday.

Thanks to all the readers!

* * *

The streets were empty now.

Rey's footsteps were like thunder in the night sky. Everywhere around her was abandoned. Some homes had their door securely fastened, and other doors were wide ajar. A stark contrast.

A perfect metaphor for her.

Rey didn't know what got into her. She ran and ran, letting the Force guide her more than her own eyes, for they were obscured by the heavy whirlpool of tears that poured down and left a trail of wet stains noticeable enough for anyone to track.

How many blocks has it been? How long has she been running for? Rey could feel the connection fighting—Kylo had been trying to edge himself into her conscious for the past few minutes but she found it was easy to shut him out with the sting of reality and the massive disappointment she held within herself.

But, as she ran, even more doubts began to swarm in her mind. Memories of the night after their first training session in Rey's room was the complete antithesis to how she saw Kylo now. If there was anything she held utmost certitude toward, it was the ability to Force heal. Master Luke had taught her that it was exclusively an ability only Light-users had used, and Kylo had literally admitted to healing Rey in that manner. That couldn't have been a lie. Kylo had never been good at concealing his emotions, and his elevated voice at her question that night was enough verification to prove that he did have the ability to Force heal.

Then how could someone who was so light inside cause all this mayhem, all of this destruction across the galaxy? Was it Snoke, who manipulated and rooted himself so deeply in Kylo's mind that Kylo just simply changed? Or was Kylo already in-midst of turning dark and all he needed was a small push by the former Supreme Leader?

Rey was lost, both metaphorically and physically. Unbeknownst to her, she had been running in the direction of yet another explosion. If her memory served, she was heading east, toward the rendezvous. That meant Kylo wasn't too far behind her.

There was another explosion nearby to her right and Rey's footsteps slowed to a stop. The villagers had probably all evacuated already, given the transport ships she saw taking off at the platform in the middle of the city earlier, but what if there was someone who was, say, delayed in their travels?

In the end, it didn't matter. Rey chose to ignore the explosion and pressed forward. She didn't feel like she was worthy of saving lives when she could just as easily take them, as selfish as that sounded. Right now, all she wanted was to return to her AT-AT on Jakku, eat a quarter portion, and then cry herself to sleep, where she could escape the monstrosities of reality.

A few blocks later, she heard voices. Rey pressed herself against the wall. The Force was screaming at her, telling her that she needed to be careful around them. So she took the warning to heart, trying her hardest to sniffle out the Force signature within her so that they wouldn't be able to sense her. She had always struggled with it, but perhaps the current state of her mind allowed her to

"Is that all?" she heard.

"It doesn't matter. Supreme Leader gave us orders to stay here until his little party arrives."

"Watch your tone, Deimos. You're already on thin ice." A different voice.

"As if Kylo himself would pay us any more attention than he needs to. How do we even know he's here? He could be on his vessel, safe and lording about on his throne. Leaving his _Knights_ to do all the work," the Knight named Deimos finished with a scorn.

"Don't try to pretend like you don't enjoy your so-called work. You have the biggest bloodlust out of all of us." The first voice was back.

She could just imagine the sneer on Deimo's face. "I'd rather be playing with his new toy."

Rey had enough. She was tired of listening. She made sure her hilt was easily visible as to ascertain her strength, when in reality she was more nervous at the sheer aspect of meeting them. But the Knights didn't need to know that.

The one closest to her was the first to notice her. His head swiftly twisted on its side as he acknowledged the presence of a newcomer. Even though his mask was on, Rey could feel him scrutinizing her before his eyes landed on her weapon.

At that point, the other two took notice as well. Their reactions were more or less the same, and one of them—Rey assumed it was Deimos—actually began walking toward

That was it. Rey quickly looked around to see three Knights. She didn't recognize any of their masks and her heart sank. If only Sula was here—she would definitely make the proceeding interaction less tense.

"You must be the scavenger that Deimos is obsessed with," the first Knight said.

"Leo…" Rey heard the Knight walking toward her growl.

There was a tiny prickling sensation on the back of her head, but Rey tuned it out.

The Knight stopped near Rey and she had to withhold the urge to take a few steps back. She had underestimated him. He was tall, around the same height as Kylo, and his body language screamed dominance.

"By the looks of things, if _I_ was the Supreme Leader, I wouldn't let this one out of my sight."

There was a pause. Rey didn't even bother playing polite.

"You are a disgusting pig."

"Hey, hey. No need to be so rude. You shouldn't be treating your comrades with such disdain."

"I heard everything you said. And for the record, Kylo is here, in Rost. You have no right to accuse him of anything otherwise!"

"On first name basis with him already?"

"Deimos, that's enough. You know the orders. Leave her alone. The girl can't be touched."

"Ah, but that's where the line gets blurry." Deimos turned around to look at whoever was under the mask behind him. "Touch, no. But—"

Rey's head exploded in pain.

"This should be fine."

Rey didn't know what was happening. All she knew was that her head was on fire. It was like her head was being stabbed with sharp weapons over and over again. Somewhere in the back of her mind, she vaguely knew what was happening. Although she didn't know Deimos, she could feel him and know that it was him attacking her mind. His presence left behind a mark as he pushed deeper and deeper into her psyche. This was far worse than when Sula mentally attacked her.

Rey didn't know what to do. The pain was obliterating, erasing any pretense she had of defending herself. She had never learned how to stop these attacks other than through her instincts, but the pain was so great that she didn't have the mental capacity to feel the darkness flowing through her to throw him off. She could sense as his presence flipped through each layer of her brain, unveiling memory after memory. She witnessed him observing the same countless nights as she lived in her AT-AT on Jakku. She witnessed him press deeper and flicker through memories of Unkar Plutt before it shifted to memories of her and BB-8. He slowly pushed deeper and deeper until Rey unwillingly gave him information that made her want to throw up and cry out in sad frustration. She gave away memories of the Millennium Falcon and Ahch-To, of Luke Skywalker and her amateur training. A single tear dropped down her face as she witnessed herself pushing Leia to the ground, and then another tear as Luke was mercilessly slaughtered by Kylo Ren.

Then her memories changed to those of more recent ones. Deimos continued his assault and Rey was helpless to stop him. He saw her fiery nature as she resisted the First Order and Kylo Ren. He saw her training with him and, oh Maker, the desire that flowed through them as they animalistically groped and kissed one one another. He saw her make her own lightsaber and how she used it to cut down Damesh's men not more than fifteen minutes ago.

The deeper he went, the more it hurt.

"Deimos! That's enough!"

The presence in her mind gave a quick jerk and Rey whimpered. It sorted through a couple more of her memories before receding back even faster than it had gone in—from all the way deep down in her subconscious until it hit her consciousness and finally retracted out of the most superficial layer of her thoughts.

She heard the footsteps of someone approach her. She cringed backward, but all pretense at fighting left her when she felt the familiar presence of Sula's mind spread into her and ease some of the pain.

"Lady Rey…let me help you to your feet."

Rey didn't even know she was collapsed on the ground. She gave a butch grunt when a hand clasped around her own and pulled her up to her feet. The framework of Sula allowed her to keep her wobbling at a minimum. Her head was light and vision was slightly skewed, but she had enough sense to see that the other Knights backed off.

"What is the meaning of this?" she demanded.

One of the Knights shrugged but Deimos was quick to pick up on his slack.

"Who gave you the right to command us?" he sneered.

"Do _not_ push your luck, Deimos," Sula retorted with an equally impressive sneer. Rey couldn't see her face but knew her features well enough; not enough to know what she'd look like with an expression like that, however. But she was sure it was intimidating.

"You know just as well as Lype and Leo that I have every right to command you, Deimos." Sula hadn't even turned her head in his direction. She chose to look straight at Rey instead.

"Yeah, yeah," he waved off. "Master of the Knights of Ren. A position that should've been held for any one of us. Instead he gave it to you."

"Because I, unlike you, have the mental capacity to be compassionate. I am not a disconnected swine as you are. Lady Rey was on the ground in pain. I should have your head."

Deimos raised his hands in mock surrender.

"Relax. I was just getting to know her a little better. Isn't that right, sweetheart?"

"Don't call her that."

"So what if I looked into her mind? There's nothing like getting to know someone by seeing all their secrets. Might as well cut through all the bullshit formalities anyways. I see that Kylo has been busy with her. Quite preoccupied, as a matter of fact—"

Sula left Rey's side so fast that she almost fell down. Her attention was focused on maintaining her balance, but it completely shifted when Rey heard the unmistakable silence.

Sula and Deimos were standing side by side, almost touching. At an angle, one could have even said that they were locked in a passionate stance, but Rey knew this was anything but. Sula's karambit was hovering dangerously close to a thin gap in Deimos's attire at his neck. Deimo's hand was settled at his belt.

"My knife will slice through your neck faster than the time it will take for you to turn on your lightsaber and pierce through my heart." It was just a whisper, but Sula's voice was steady and magnified in clearing. Rey could hear the threat, and oh, it was real. Her voice was thick with truth. "It only takes a nick for the poison to enter your bloodstream. Think about your decision, Deimos. I'll even spell it out for you if you need me to."

Deimos gave a rough grunt. The threat of a simple brush of the knife against his neck seemed to at least deter him, and he stepped back after a few glares and seconds of silence.

"Deimos—"

"Yeah, I know, Leo. It's whatever." Deimos grunted and strapped his lightsaber back to his belt. "Master of Knights, my arse. Since when have you been such a protector? Let's leave and let her continue to fawn over her _Lady_."

He gave the pair a second look before walking off. The Knight known as Lype followed without a glance at Sula or Rey, but Leo stayed behind. He looked behind him briefly at his comrades then turned to them.

"If you have nothing to add, then leave."

"By the way, just so you know, Lype wheedled some information out of a man he caught." He looked to Sula and she nodded.

"Proceed," Sula commanded, tucking her knife back beneath her attire. She gave Rey's hand a small squeeze.

"The explosive sites weren't randomized as we originally thought—each explosion took place over key spots—the structural foundations. He's planning on sinking the city. I reckon he'll only need to detonate a few more before the city goes down. So far he's gotten nine."

"And Damesh?"

"He may have vacated the premises already. It's impossible to tell. His men are loyal to the death and I wouldn't put it past him to leave some behind and foresee the explosions themselves."

Sula gave another nod. "Thank you, Leo."

"Of course." He turned his attention to Rey for the first time. "I advise staying away from Deimos. He's been more unhinged as of late, and you've seen first-handedly his volatility."

"I've noticed," she wheezed.

Leo made some sort of noise and it took Rey a few seconds to gather that it was actually a laugh.

"On the other hand, you're always welcome to come see me, though. Things get old real fast on Coruscant. I could do with the company of a beautiful woman as yourself."

Rey was completely caught off guard by his last remark and she found herself turning red by his unabashed remark.

"Leo, that's enough."

"My offer still stands," he said. "But remember: keep away from Deimos. Guy's a maniac."

"And what about the other Knight?" Rey inquired, doing her best to ignore the stare under his helmet.

"Lype? He's the silent type, always brooding. You don't want to be around him unless you enjoy pretending. Pretending that he's an inanimate object, that is."

He gave another nod to Sula and left. Now it was only Sula and Rey in the clearing. The only _alive_ ones, that is. There were a few slain bodies nearby. Damesh's men. Rey did her best to tear her eyes from the site. If she didn't, then she wouldn't be able to ignore her own personal misgivings.

"Does your head still hurt?" Rey's attention was drawn to the purity of her voice. She had taken off her helmet and let her features show. Her hair was tied in a neat bun, much like Rey's but not in a group of three.

"Just a little, but it was nothing compared to his attack earlier."

"Deimos is strongest with his mind. I should have anticipated his intentions. I'm sorry for not coming to your aid earlier, my Lady."

Rey didn't even bother correcting her. She was much too weary.

"That's alright, Sula." She gave her a small smile to try to set her mind at ease. "I should have anticipated him. From what you and Kylo have told me, the rest of the Knights aren't very…congenial."

Sula grunted and Rey smiled again at the sound. "Still, it's my fault. The other Knights are usually tolerable. It's just Deimos who's the troublemaker. He's been restless ever since Kylo assumed the role of Supreme Leader and even more so after I ascended to Master of the Knights of Ren. Speaking of Kylo, do you know where he is?"

Rey clamped her mouth shut. "I don't know, Sula," she finally admitted, trying her hardest not to discuss him as much as she needed to. "But I can sense that he's okay." _Physically_ , she added to herself.

"Let's get going, then. I can take you to him." Sula yanked her communication device—

"No!" Rey protested, raising her hand right before she was about to turn it on. She quirked an eyebrow at her.

"I mean," she tried backpedaling. "Kylo and I…"

"Are currently not on good terms."

Rey nodded and tried her hardest not to blush. "Is it that obvious?"

"Would you like to talk about it, Lady Rey? I advise against this, seeing how time is limited—"

"No, no. You're right. Let's just get going, okay? What is it we need to do?"

Sula checked a wristwatch strapped on her left wrist. "We haven't been able to locate Damesh, but no unidentified ships have left Numina's atmosphere since our arrival."

Suddenly, three more booms ricocheted through the distance. The ground began wobbling beneath Rey's feet and she had to catch herself from falling. The two of them stared off into the distance before Sula spoke.

"Leo was right," Sula pressed, talking much faster now. "I slashed through a few men themselves and got what I needed from their minds. The city doesn't have long before it sinks and we need to be out before it happens. I know the way."

"But Kylo…" Rey couldn't help but feel the flicker of worry that spread through her.

"Kylo will be fine. He can take care of himself. He's the Supreme Leader, after all."

"Not you too," she grumbled, but allowed Sula's words to comfort her nevertheless.

"We don't have time. He is more than capable than any one of us here. He'll be fine, Lady Rey. I promise."

Rey nodded. _I hope you're okay._

The bond was still closed from her earlier decision, however, and her message floated aimlessly inside her. But she knew he had heard her. He had to.

The rumbling beneath their feet started up again, and this time, it didn't stop.

"We need to leave. Now!" Sula shouted, yanking her helmet back on her head.

The two of them took off at a fast run, side by side. The city was entirely deserted and it made doing so much more easier. It unsettled Rey, however, knowing that a place so usually full of life was now completely abandoned and desolate. Haunted.

They had been running for a few minutes and Rey's lungs and legs were beginning to feel the toll of her exertion.

"Where's the other Knight? Jarrok?" she shouted above the growing noises of the city caving in.

"I don't know!" Sula shouted back. "But I'm sure he's still at the gates. I just talked to him over comms. Our first objective is to get reconvene to the ships and proceed from there!"

For some reason, the only thing Rey could think of was the pair. It was probably the worst time to ever have a discussion over their relationship.

"You're not afraid of letting the other Knights hear what you two have to say?"

"We keep it strictly professional!" she shouted back. "And we have our own private communicators!"

"That's sweet!" Rey flashed her a smile but then it faded. She stopped moving when she heard a sound in the distance. The only reason it called out to her was because it was unlike the other sounds that was hearing—the sounds of a city crumbling.

Sula noticed her sudden halt and turned to her.

"What are you doing, Lady Rey?" she asked.

Rey strained her ears and let the Force enter her. "Hold on, Sula."

"We don't have—"

Rey held up a hand to stop her. She craned her neck, begging for her ear to not let anything go amiss. There it was. She could hear the desperate plea again.

"A child," she breathed. "I hear him over that way." She pointed in the direction they had just came from.

"There's no time!"

"The child…we have to go back and save him."

"No!"

" _No_?"

Worry vanished and irritation and comprehension replaced it for the first time ever at Sula, nipping at Rey's heels at his lack of compassion and how he could just turn a blind eye toward a human life in need.

"I thought I knew you better, Sula! This is a human's life we are talking about! We have to help him! I'm going!"

"Let me get one thing through to you, Lady Rey," Sula urged, unexpectedly yanking her arm and drawing Rey closer to her. She winced at how tight his her grasp was. "I am under strict orders by the Supreme Leader himself to keep you safe and out of harm's way. Given our friendship, I can cut his orders some leniency, but even I know where the line must be drawn. This mission of yours is suicidal. The city is going to collapse at any given second. Buildings have already began to crumble under their foundations. We _have_ to go. There is no time!"

"I don't care! We can't just let an innocent person die!"

Rey couldn't let the child die. She couldn't let another person whom she could save perish. She turned tail and ran.

"Lady Rey! No!"

Panic seemed to fuel Rey's determination to save the child. Even though she couldn't see them, she brought up her hand and hastily flicked it. Debris in the middle of the ground shot toward them, and she felt Sula's Force pull waver as she redirected her focus toward the mass of rocks threatening to crush her.

"Rey, no!" she heard Sula shout, but it was too late. She pressed forward, rounding the corner and pressing forward, ignoring the infrastructure crumbling around her. She took part of her arm wrap and covered part of her face in a second-nature fashion, much like she did to protect her face from the sandstorms on Jakku.

"Come on, where are you?"

As if the child heard her plea, he began crying again.

"Left," she spoke to herself. "Come on."

Rey ran three blocks, passed a few more homes, and rounded another two corners before the crying grew louder. Dust flew into the air when she skidded to a stop in front of a house threatening not to crumble on its foundation. The ground had begun to sink, and the shift in angle had begun to split the house in two.

Hesitation would get her killed. Rey ran into the entrance of the house and shut out all sound except for the crying. She shut out the sound of the house collapsing. She shut out the sound of silverware clacking around on the ground, and glass shattering until she located where the crying was coming from. The second floor.

The first bedroom was empty, but in the second one, a suspicious sound came from a closet. Rey bolted to the corner and yanked the door open to find a child, at the latest ten, rubbing his eyes and balling his eyes out.

"Where are your parents?" she asked. At the sound of another voice, the boy opened his eyes. Rey resisted the urge to gasp out in shock. Call it coincidence, but the boy was familiar. He was the same child who had thrown the toy at her before she entered the city.

"Mo—mommy?" he asked.

"No, but I know where mommy is. You want her, don't you?" Rey stretched out her hand, ignoring the unsteady shake of the ground beneath her feet.

The boy seemed to recognize her after rubbing his eyes with his fists and clearing the tears away.

"It's you!"

"Yes, it's me," Rey urged. "Come on. Let's get you back to your mommy, okay?" Rey asked, trying her hardest not focus on the debris flying around her. She had to get him to the middle clearing. Chances are, the transport ship was still there when his parents realized that their child wasn't with them.

The child blinked at her before offering Rey her hand. She tugged him to her body and held him close. A piece of something flying across the room caught her eye and she used the Force and brought the tiny little figurine over to her—the same one that was thrown at her. For some reason, it seemed like the right thing to do.

The duty of protecting an innocent child seemed to spurn her with a new energy that was not born from the depths of her anger. It was easier to sense danger around the corner, and every time detritus rained down from the sky, Rey easily deflected the debris away from them with a unwavering brush of her hand. The child looked at her in awe each time she did this, his tears stopping for just a slight second as he stared at her display of power.

A few instances required them to cut through narrow corridors, detouring through them instead of the main passageways due to an unbudging obstruction, but unexpectedly, the next hallway turned into an environment where her surroundings were not made translucent from the thick fog. How they both escaped into the open area of the city without harm bewildered Rey, but she would not be one to complain.

In the middle of the city, where there was a large clearing, only one ship had not left. It had to be one of the city evacuation ones. Given its bulky mass and oddly-bent wings, it surely wasn't the First Order's.

Two people stood in front of the ship. The male had both hands cupped around his mouth and the female had her hands over her eyes, protecting her from any flying particles while she scoured the area for someone.

Both of them stopped what they were doing when they saw two specks in the distance. Rey could only think that they were both squinting their eyes, trying their hardest to identify who was running toward them. But then both of them threw caution to the wind and began to move too.

"Mommy!" the boy shouted, leaving Rey's side and running right into his mother's waiting arms. The two of them collided in a passionate display of tender care that shot pangs through Rey's heart.

The child had such a loving family, far more than what she ever could have asked. For a brief instant Rey imagined herself in his shoes, wondering how her life would be if she had a family who was as any bit concerned for her than the boy's family was for him.

The father stepped forward. It didn't escape Rey's notice that he stood directly in front of his family in a protective manner.

"I didn't know the First Order concerned themselves with the safety of those they view to be beneath them. Especially after the destruction of the entire city shortly after your arrival."

"I'm not with the First Order," Rey rebuffed.

"No? But you are working with them."

"Daddy, she saved me! She was the woman I met earlier today! She can move rocks with her wrist!" the boy interjected, tugging on his father's belt from behind.

Rey saw the father's hands ball into tight fists.

"So there are two of you. You and the devil who calls himself Supreme Leader."

His wife moved forward to try to say something but he waved her back.

"I mean no harm," she said, raising both her hands up. "There was a criminal on the loose and we were trying our best to stop him. The unfortunate destruction of the city was a product of Damesh's doing, and the result would have been the same nonetheless if the First Order had not intervened." Maker, even what she said sounded bad to her own ears. Taking a deep breath, she tried again.

"We, no I, am on the same side as you. I never wanted any of this to happen. You have to believe me."

Rey was sure the father was going to rebuke her when he opened his mouth, but the mother intervened just before he managed to get any words out.

"We believe you. I apologize for my husband's behavior."

She turned to him.

"What matters in the end is that we are all together, as a family. If she is who she says she is, then I have no doubt she wouldn't have brought Cam to us. Think about it, Weo. The First Order wouldn't care about us. They were here to do their own job."

The mother turned back to Rey.

"Thank you. Thank you for saving our child." Rey saw her eyes swimming in tears.

"You're quite welcome," she responded, her throat closing.

"Really. We are forever indebted to you. What's your name?"

There was a humongous bang behind her, and she knew her time was running short.

"Rey. My name is Rey."

She turned around but before she could depart, a soft hand grabbed her wrist.

"Are you going back there? It's not safe! There is shelter with us!"

Rey smiled, warming to the lady. "I can't," she replied. As much as her heart had been yearning for a family her entire life, one thing was blindingly apparent: her destiny was not here. The chain of events over the last couple of hours showed her this. She was not meant to live an ordinary, normal life.

The woman dropped her grip and hugged her instead. Rey could feel the woman's motherly tendencies soaking up her devastation and her eyes began to water.

The husband gave her a curt nod to express his gratitude, and the child gave her a toothy grin. Rey returned the smile, and then without looking back, set back into the carnage. She would make it. She had to make it.

The city's infrastructure was reaching critical capacity. Rey could feel it. The ground was vibrating incessantly, and with every step she took, the ground splintered just a little more.

Rey retraced her steps but came up short when her reflexes were called into sudden action when a sizeable chunk of a home broke off from the rest of its foundation and toppled over directly in her path, blocking it. The debris was twice, if not three times as tall as her, and it was very well beyond her control with the Force. She was forced to turn around and take an alternative route.

She had been running for a few minutes in the chaos before she realized she was hopelessly lost. Every corridor seemed the same, if not worse for the wear, and there were no landmarks she could identify that she memorized on the way to the child's parents, for everything had shifted around in the last few minutes.

"Kylo!" she desperately screamed, pushing a large boulder to the side with the Force so that she could proceed.

Trying to focus on Kylo inside of her failed as well. She could very faintly sense him, but his presence did not clearly point a direction as to which way she needed to go. His presence existed, but didn't guide. He was heavily focused on something, but what it was, Rey didn't know.

There was no time to meditate.

She had to be nearing the extraction site. She passed a few dead bodies on the ground and by the strange blade poking out of the dirt, she knew she was near.

She ran forward for another minute before she had to take a detour. Soon thereafter, Rey skidded to a stop. The dust around here was minimal, and she could see far ahead and identify a speck of black in the distance. Kylo's command shuttle.

She would make it. Sprinting forward with unbelievable athleticism, Rey pushed all of her energy into her legs so that her center of balance was in her two feet, and relied on her maneuvering skills and Force-pushing to block any of the falling debris from fatally smashing into her.

She had to make it.

With an improvised maneuver where she Force pushed herself off the ground, Rey jumped forward and tumbled into the clear, narrowly escaping doom behind her. Her eyes widened as she turned her head around and viewed the chaos she had just escaped from. The entire framework of which the city had been built on sank on its knees and collapsed, spilling every constructed building and flattening them. Had she been a second too late, she would have been dead. Even still, it was not over. The collective collapse of the city sent a wave of dirty air toward her. Rey snapped her eyes shut, held her breath, and buried her face in the grass as the dust storm from the collapsed debris rushed toward her like a sandstorm.

When the howling wind vanished and she could hear again, Rey slowly got to her knees. With her mouth obstructed from heavy breathing into the makeshift face gear, she unwrapped her clothes from her face and rejoiced.

She gave a hearty cheer and laughed. She laughed. It couldn't be helped. It had been ages since she was in real danger, and yet, her reaction was like a force of habit.

Nature. This enemy was unrelentless. It was more dangerous than anything she had ever dealt against. It was formidable, frightening, but what set it apart from the rest of the galaxy was one thing: nature was not evil.

Suddenly remembering the ship, she turned back to it. Her smile slipped a fraction when she realized that the black hull and wings were slightly different than Kylo's command shuttle.

The hangar door hissed, smoke seeping around the exit. Rey saw the faint outline of boots.

Sula came with them on Kylo's ship, which meant whoever piloted this aircraft was a different Knight of Ren. She _really_ hoped this ship didn't belong to Deimos. Her observations and brief personal experiences with the rest of the Knights didn't leave a positive impression on her, but she had to make do with what she had. Officially, they were allies. She was completely sure that Kylo was waiting for her, but minutes of sprinting had led to her panting and exhausted, and excess use of the Force depleted her energy and she was spent. She also didn't have the energy to care about her massive feud with Kylo. She would seek refuge in this Knight's ship until he dropped her off at the Finalizer. Yes, that's what she'll do.

Rey always had a knack for recognizing danger before it manifested, and this was one of those times. The hairs on her neck and arms stood up fractions of a second before she heard a new voice, one that radiated decree and authority—one she couldn't mistake for anyone else.

"Well, well, well," Damesh said, strolling down the rest of the platform and coming to a stop a few lengths away from her.

Rey stumbled to her feet, unstrapping her staff saber and igniting it, holding it at the ready.

"Look who it is. Kylo Ren's toy."

* * *

Dun-dun-dun! Resistance soon :)


	12. Chapter 12

**Hey everyone, I deeply apologize for dropping off the face of the Earth for an extra week. No, I haven't decided to abandon this story - I just came across a lot of troubles (legal and personal) that I needed to deal with. With that being said, here's the last chapter of this arc. A new one starts soon. If all goes according to plan, the story will soon be completed (still many chapters to come though).**

 **As always, thanks for reading! Your feedback really matters so if you could leave a review it'd help tremendously :)**

* * *

"Well, well, well. Look who it is. Kylo Ren's toy."

Rey instantly scrambled her hand to her lightsaber and ignited it.

"My plans were to leave in disguise on this, ah, what's it called? Slaves? Or was it 'Knights'?" Damesh used both of his hands to air-quote the last word. "Can you imagine the disbelief I was in when I saw, through this ship's windshield, a scavenger of all people racing against Mother Nature?"

"You have ruined the lives of thousands! There is no Mother Nature—only your heinous acts of destruction!"

"Nothing matters more to a man than witnessing his own work unveil before his eyes. I had to stay and watch the show. I certainly was not expecting you. Rumors has it that the First Order has a new recruit to their cause. News has been floating all around the HoloNet. You can imagine how pleasantly surprised I was to see that these rumors were certainly true."

Rey's heart sank. The first thought that came to her was the Resistance. If news had spread all throughout the HoloNet, then Leia had to know all the things that had been said about her. But Rey had faith in her. She knew that Leia would choose her own feelings over the word of strangers when it came to Rey's character.

Damesh stayed on the ramp and refused to move to her.

"The evolution of your life could be written in the history books to come. From a lowly scavenger to a Jedi Padawan turned rogue. Quite similar to Anakin Skywalker."

"I did _not_ join the First Order," Rey defended.

"Be that as it may," Damesh refuted, "The entire HoloNet believes it to be true."

Rey snarled. "Fight me outside! Or are you too cowardly?"

Damesh chuckled, and all it did was to further spiral her defensive anger into a darker mood.

"A real Jedi would never behave like this."

"Fight me outside!" she screamed. "Take responsibility for your actions!"

"There is nothing cowardly about the situation I am in. Do you honestly think I'd fight you? You have a double-bladed lightsaber. Those things can cut through anything. I'd be a fool to oblige. Why don't you join me up in the cabin instead? There is plenty of room."

"What makes you think I'll listen to you?"

Damesh chuckled and snapped his fingers. Rey tensed, preparing herself of what to come. But no amount of anticipation could've lead to what she saw next.

A man made his way out, but it wasn't him Rey was focused on—no, it was the person he was grasping by the collar. A sudden coldness swept through her insides when she thought it was Kylo. But it wasn't.

"Here," Damesh said. The man dragged the Knight to plain view and yanked him to his feet. "I take it you know who this is?"

Rey let her anger pause and examined the Knight. She remembered the dark fabric on Deimos and Leo. The last one, Lype, was fuzzier, but she still captured a glance of his attire and helmet. The hostage here had none of the markings that the other helms had.

"N—No," her voice wavered. "I don't."

Damesh guffawed.

"A First Order ally and you don't even know your own comrades!"

"How do you know that's not one of your own men?" Rey retorted. She curled her lip up into a smirk, knowing that what she said next would get under his skin. "I heard you were pretty capable of leaving them behind."

Damesh scowled. "That's up for your conscience to decide."

"And if I don't agree to your demands?"

"Then you don't."

"He's not my comrade."

Damesh chuckled. "Are you sure about that?"

"See if I care!" she growled.

Damesh stared at her but then unexpectedly shrugged. "So be it." He gave a nod to his second, the man who still had the Knight gripped in a deadlock.

The man unsheathed a large broad sword and raised his arm with it in his hand—

"This is your last chance to save his life."

Rey ignored him. She could get through this. It would be the right thing to do. If she got on the ship, then she was as good as dead. She was _not_ allied to the First Order. She was not a part of their plans for intergalactic conquest. There was no reason for her to save the Knight. And yet—

The man thrust forward—

"No!" Rey shouted, reaching out with her hand. The sword stopped. Rey grit her teeth, pouring her concentration onto the sword. She could feel the tug of the man's hand as he struggled to overpower her Force.

Rey guided his hand to turn the sword around. She used fuel from all the countless lives lost today to slowly push the tip of the blade closer to his chest. She could sense the fear emanating from his as he understood what was about to happen.

"Stop or he dies!"

Rey hit a lapse in concentration and involuntarily broke off the Force. The unnamed man's hand dropped and the sword dropped onto the floor of the ship with a loud clatter.

Damesh had his blaster pointed at the Knight. There was no traces of a smile on his face anymore.

"I underestimated you and the fight you had in you. It won't happen again." He pressed the gun under the Knight's helmet, where there was no protection. "I won't ask again. Come or I'll shoot him."

Rey tested the water. She had never learned how to simultaneously use the Force for two things at once. She could either put her focus to the man's sword or put her focus to the blaster, but not both at the same time.

And the chances of stopping the blaster bolt when it only had to travel a hair's length to its target was far beyond her level of expertise. She wasn't even sure if Kylo could do it. To accomplish a feat like that wouldn't just take years of training, but also a sense of premeditativeness.

"Give me your word," Rey said in an undertone. Loose strands of her hair lay draped over her forehead and eyes, covering her expression. "Give me your word and I'll obey," she repeated.

"Of course! I'm a man of my word."

Rey contemplated for another split second but realized it was no use. She kept her lightsaber ignited and slowly walked forward to the hangar. Both of her enemies tensed at her steady pace, but when she clicked off her lightsaber at the foot of the hangar door, they visibly loosened.

"Hand it over."

Rey walked up the ramp into the ship to where they were standing and willingly handed it over. Damesh tucked it into the satchel he was carrying by his side.

"No tricks."

"No tricks," she repeated.

"Good girl," Damesh said.

"And a beautiful one at that," the man added, chuckling.

Rey almost lost control and slaughtered the man right then and there, but she held herself off. The Knight's security mattered more. If her estimates were correct, then this had to be…

"Hands," Damesh commanded.

"This was never part of the deal."

"I changed my mind. If your Knight wants to survive, then it's in your best interest to listen."

Damesh pulled out a pair of binders. They were standard First Order binders. Rey knew because they were an identical copy of the ones the Stormtrooper slapped onto her when she willingly gave herself up.

Rey balled her fists but loosened them. The binders suddenly gave her an idea.

Damesh slapped them onto her wrists, effectively locking them into place.

"That wasn't so hard, was it?" he asked, brushing a few strands of Rey's hair from her face and revealing her look of pure anger.

Rey gathered spit in the back of her throat and spat at him.

Damesh chuckled and wiped her slime off. "Such a feisty one."

The man standing next to him latched one of his hands over Rey's thin arm. It took all the control she had in her to not lose control. His grip was too reminiscent of Unkar Plutt's.

The unnamed man dragged her into the depths of the ship and pushed her none too gently against the wall of the ship. Jarrok was already sitting, slumped over on the side like a loose marionette.

"Sit," the man growled.

Rey did as he asked. The man tsked and Rey obliged, raising her arms together so that he could tighten a makeshift noose dangling from the roof around her wrists.

"Where are you taking us?" Rey asked.

"You'll see," was all he said. And then, he left.

Rey had half a mind to wonder whether Damesh would grace them with his abhorrent presence before they lifted off, but her ponderings were addressed when she felt the uneven shove of the ship as its anchors detached from the dirt ground. If it weren't for the nooses around her and Jarrok's wrists, then they would have been thrown around the ship given their lack of securement.

Rey turned her attention to the slumped man. He was obviously unconscious.

Where was Damesh taking them? There was no doubt that they were enemies, and yet what would he do with them? Rey poured through options and out of all the ones she came up with, there was one that unsettled her the most: slavery. She made a quick list of planets that they could be taken to—Zygerria, Orvax, Lirra, and Jakku. But it wouldn't be that easy. The HoloNet knew who she was. No. They knew her face, but not Jarrok's. They could easily sell him as a slave, but it wouldn't be profitable. He was an active Force-user. There's no way he would submit.

Rey ruminated for a few more minutes as to what they wanted with them, but she couldn't come up with any ideas. She glanced around the ship to see if there was anything she could call over to her, but was presented with the same black sleekness on every First Order ship. First things first, she had to get out of the noose. However, there was nothing sharp for her to cut her hands out.

Then there was the matter of the extra passenger, the reason why she was on this cursed ship in the first place. Jarrok. She peered at the Knight, still in his helmet. For some reason, she had a strange desire to see what he looked like under his helmet, but her hands were in no position to ease it off. A sudden rush overtook her as she realized that she could get all the information from him that she desired. She didn't need her hands to invade his mind. All she needed was her own conscious. It would be easier than cutting down a droid with her lightsaber. Someone who was unconscious could offer no resistance if she were to plunge into their mind. But it would be wrong. It would be an invasion of privacy. But at the same time, there might be something that she could find; something that might help them escape. She juggled the idea.

The Knight next to her shuffled, and she breathed a sigh of relief. She hated to admit it, but if he hadn't recovered consciousness during the time that he had, Rey would have succumbed to her desires and invaded his mind.

"Jarrok," she whispered.

The Knight gave another little stir and Rey whispered to him again, raising her voice as loud as she could without drawing the attention of their enemies in the cockpit.

"Jarrok!"

At her urgent whisper, he came to a jolt.

"S—Sula?"

Rey shook her head, biting her lips to stop her protests. She had a made a promise to keep Jarrok safe and return him to safety. Having already failed one out of her missions, things weren't looking so bright. But now wasn't the time to reflect on it. She would worry later.

"No," Rey whispered. "It's me, Rey."

"Rey?" The Knight lifted his head—still within the helmet—and peered at her. "You're—" he gave a mad cough. Rey turned to the cockpit again, listening intensively whether his cough was heard. "You're Kylo's apprentice."

It wasn't until he mentioned Kylo that Rey even remembered him. Amidst all the chaos, she had completely forgotten about him.

But first things first. She needed to see if Jarrok was okay. And what's more, get them off this ship.

"Yes. Are you okay?"

The Knight groaned and Rey shushed him, jerking her head to the cockpit.

"Damesh," she warned.

As soon as the word left her mouth, she felt a change in the Knight's demeanor. It was as if he began to exude barely-withheld anger.

"I was attacked at the gates by him and half a dozen of his men," he spoke, his voice suddenly icy.

"What happened to the rest of the men?"

Jarrok gave her a look.

"Sorry. Just him and the last of his men, then?"

Jarrok nodded. "It was a close fight. If the Stormtroopers hadn't left, then victory would have surely been ours."

Rey's stomach lurched.

"Lady Rey—"

"Not you too!" she hushed under her breath.

"I sense a sudden shift in your Force nature."

Rey's eyes dropped to the ground. "Not now, Jarrok." How was she going to explain that it was her who was behind all this? If she hadn't asked Kylo to call the Stormtroopers into the city, then Jarrok would've never been captured and Damesh would never have been able to—

"Of course, Lady Rey."

"Where's your lightsaber?"

"Taken. I don't know where it is."

"Please, continue."

"There's not much more. I was distracted by two of his men and lost focus on Damesh." Jarrok grimaced and his head tilted to look at his side. Rey's eyes trailed his movements to see a dark stain that was spread through his fabric, something she had overlooked earlier.

"Maker…you're hurt."

"My right side pocket…there's a blade that they overlooked."

Rey nodded. She couldn't bend her wrists at all, so she was forced to use only her fingers. It was excruciatingly, focusing all of her Force in her index and middle finger, and even harder to wriggle the blade out, but eventually she did it. It floated slowly over to her until it was within range for her to clamp her teeth down on. Opening the blade, she got to work quickly, cutting both her noose and his within a matter of a few minutes.

The two both lowered their arms with a collective sigh. Rey felt a tendril of pride ease into her at her accomplishment, but then her mind refocused on the issue at hand. She peeled his hand off his injury and used her own hands to examine the damage. He gave a pained grunt when she pushed a little too hard.

"Sorry, hold on," Rey said, continuing her examination. Taking enormous care as to not to hurt him again, she gently tore the black fabric covering the wound until a formidable section of his skin was showing. It was easy tearing the coat into smaller strips, given how there was already a hole for her to stick her fingers in.

Jarrok gave a hiss as she did so, but Rey didn't apologize again. Her ears didn't catch it.

The blaster bolt did more than just scrape the surface of his skin. The bolt, directly right of his belly button, had entered from the front of Jarrok's side and out the back, ripping through the contents of his abdomen. On Jakku, she had traded a few portions for anatomy Holovids, but she was far from an expert. However, she knew that the bolt had to have severed through many, many arteries. The only thing that was keeping him alive was the fact that the blaster bolt had also cauterized everything in its path. And that was far worse than bleeding out. Silenced arteries meant no blood to the nearby organs. The organs below his diaphragm, without the nourishment of blood, would slowly necrose until they died. At that point, Jarrok would become nothing more than half a man. He was in for a slow death.

"How's it fare for me, Lady Rey?"

Rey bit the inside of her cheek so hard that she tasted blood.

"You'll be okay," she lied. Why she did, she didn't know. "I need to heal you, though." She had to. She had no idea where Damesh was taking them. The sooner she could heal him, the better. He would serve as a formidable ally in their escape.

"By all means, do it. You don't need my permission for that."

Rey nodded. She honed her ears in at the cockpit, using the Force to eavesdrop on anything they had to say. Luckily, they didn't seem to be suspicious of their cargo in the back.

"Okay," Rey breathed, turning her attention back to Jarrok. "You'll have to stay still."

Jarrok grunted.

Rey placed her hands on his injury and closed her eyes. She felt the Force flow through her as strong, if not stronger, than the first time she learned to channel it with Master Luke. She felt its essence flow through her psyche and invade her top to bottom, from her head to the tips of her toes, much like when she healed Kylo. But this time, there was something off. Something didn't feel right.

Rey gathered the Force in her hands and called it to her, ready to heal Jarrok. She opened her eyes, expecting to see a familiar warmth and glow of green over his injury, only to be presented with nothing.

Rey blinked. Maybe there was something wrong with her meditation. She tried again, this time with her eyes open. A small flicker of green spewed out of her fingertips and contacted Jarrok's skin for the briefest of seconds before it fizzled away into nothingness.

Confused, Rey frowned and tried again, getting the same results. She attempted to call the Force to her once again, but this time she couldn't even get it to oblige. It pushed back against her, waning against her conscious, hesitant to come to her will. Almost as if it was scared of her. As if it wanted to distance itself from her.

"I—I don't know what's happening," Rey stuttered. "It's not working."

There was an enormous bang and then a heavy thrust and Rey found herself sliding off the seat. If they were still restrained by the nooses, then perhaps they would have been alright. Regardless, they weren't. Rey was thrown backwards at the hyperspace jump and would've collided straight into the ship's back wall had it not been for her superb reflexes. She pushed both her hands out—for they were still strapped in the binders—just in time to ease the crash between her back and the wall with the Force, but it still hurt. Jarrok came flying at her a split second later, too weak to support himself up with the Force. Rey pushed out the same hand and tried to slow down his impact with chest as much as possible.

"Oof!"

The two of them crashed onto the floor once the jump had finished. If there was any doubts that she could get them off the ship without drawing heavy attention, it was now gone. She could hear Damesh and the other man shouting at each other. A moment later, there was the sound of thick footsteps approaching them until the two rounded the corner and stopped at the sight of Rey and Jarrok still tangled on the floor. Their eyes flickered to the spot they had left them at and to shredded pieces of rope scattered across the hangar floor.

"I knew you were plotting something," Damesh snarled, pulling out his blaster rifle and aiming it at Rey's animalistic glare.

Rey was on her stomach and she there was nothing she could do as she saw him change his trajectory and aim at Jarrok instead. The Knight shifted uncomfortably, the only sign he gave at the recognition of his fate.

Rey's glare was still plastered on her face, but then she softened her expression, allowing a new emotion of vulnerability to come across her features. She slowly pushed her hands out from under her, moving with a newfound sense of timidity as her hands came out from under her stomach and stretched outward to Damesh in a plea of mercy.

"Please…"

"This is gold!" the man cackled. "Boss, she's begging for mercy."

Damesh waved him off, intently focused on Rey.

Rey serenely smiled a soft, innocent smile at Damesh, ignoring the other man. Damesh's hard gaze softened just a bit. It was enough. Rey's smile abruptly morphed into a smirk and her gaze darkened. Damesh noticed the action too late.

The lightsaber blades erupted from the hilts and one of them pierced Damesh straight through his side. He tilted his head, almost as if he was curious, and looked down at the fatal wound. The lightsaber blade had spewed forth through the satchel by his side and entered him right above his left hipbone and out the other end.

The blaster fell out of his hand and clattered onto the floor, the only sound in the entire ship.

Rey turned her attention to his company. The other man was no luckier. The other blade on the opposite end of the hilt victimized him; because he was shorter than Damesh, the blade pierced through his ribs and into his stomach.

Following her Master in his footsteps, Rey pulled the lightsaber toward her with a small flick of her fingers. The red blades approached her, humming with gratification and pleased at the sacrifices that had taken place.

"You don't know what you've done." In the muted sound of the interior of the ship, Damesh's shaky whisper trembled loudly. "You will regret this."

"I know what I did," Rey answered.

Damesh's comrade had already passed away long before his body was sliced in half. Damesh himself managed to take one last look at Rey, Jarrok, and his former comrade before exuding a heavy breath as the last of his life left him. He fell to the ground, dead.

Rey pushed her hands off the floor of the ship and erected herself.

"Jarrok, we need to get out of here."

The Knight lay frozen, perhaps still absorbing the events that had just proceeded. He wasn't sure whether this was the same Lady Rey he had been told. There was something sinister about the way she just executed their two captors without any remorse. For any of the Knights, accomplishing such a trivial feat was of no difficulty, but for a former Jedi Padawan...for someone who walked down the path of Jedi principles and teachings…it was an entirely different story, one that left an icy tingling of impressed fear rippling throughout his body.

Rey called the lightsaber over to her.

"Give me your wrists," she commanded. Jarrok did as she asked, not wanting to go through the hassle of questioning her.

With her lightsaber still ignited, she brought one of the blades to the binders and slowly, hair-by-hair moved it downward until the binders were burned through the top. They snapped open and Jarrok's hands became free. He accepted the lightsaber from her without saying a word and did the same to Rey's binders until could freely move her arms and hands also.

"Where do you think they jumped to?" Rey asked, shutting off her lightsaber and strapping it to her belt clip.

"I'm uncertain," Jarrok said. He was struck with a sudden bout of unease and his hand dropped to his injured side again. Rey took one look at it and bit her lip.

"Maker, your injury. I completely forgot, with what just happened and all."

"I'll survive, My Lady. For now, we need to land this ship and contact the First Order."

Rey nodded. The two of them ran—well, she ran and Jarrok hobbled behind her—to the cockpit. The ship was on auto-pilot, and Rey took no time to put herself into the pilot's seat and pull up the control panel.

"Auto-pilot's been locked!"

"That's impossible. Let me take a look." Jarrok approached Rey's side, so close that they were almost touching. Rey viewed as he tapped on his holographic keyboard for a few seconds.

"You're right. It has been locked."

"What are the coordinates we're headed towards?"

"Near the Deep Core…the Core Worlds." Jarrok pointed out a flashing icon that Rey took great interest in.

"Coruscant," she muttered.

"I've been locked out of my own system. There's no way to disable the autopilot. At this rate, we'll land within the hour. Platform 3107."

"Does this mean anything to you, Jarrok?"

"No, Lady Rey. My knowledge on Coruscant is strictly limited. This would be more Leo's field than anyone else's, although I highly doubt he is currently there."

"I as well. All I know about it is its period during the Galactic Republic. It's not going to be of much use. Can we land undetected?"

Jarrok shook his head. "No, Lady Rey. If the coordinates have been plugged, then no doubt Damesh would also have taken the liberty to contact the other end of our arrival. There's nothing we can do but wait."

"They don't know that Damesh is dead," Rey continued muttering. She spared a brief look at the bifurcated men behind them. She thought she would feel greater signs of remorse, but she felt nothing for her murders. Perhaps it was because their deeds were justifiable.

"They don't know he's dead," she continued. "I doubt the ship will be received with hostility."

Rey buckled herself in and Jarrok did the same. She glanced at him, worry etched across her face. "I'll—"

"No, Lady Rey. I'll be fine," Jarrok interrupted her.

"But—"

"No."

Rey was taken by surprise. Jarrok obviously knew something she didn't. She knew the degree of damage and during the short time that she got to know the Knight, she knew he wasn't an idiot either. Both of them were aware of how dangerous it was to leave an injury like his unattended to, but why Jarrok was refusing her attempts at healing him while they still had plenty of time before landing was something that she could not answer.

The two of the remained in silence for the rest of the ride. Only until they began breaking through the clouds of Coruscant did Rey start to feel her stomach swimming. She gripped her lightsaber tightly, ready to fight if needed. Although she came into the ship dreary and beaten, her energy had revitalized itself and she was as prepared as she could be.

And she hadn't forgotten her promise to Sula, either. Her first plan after dealing with the mess after they landed was to get Jarrok to a safe place. Somewhere where she could help him, and if not her, others.

She realized with a sudden start that she still didn't know what Jarrok looked like. The Knight had kept his helmet on the whole time, and Rey found that a little odd. Perhaps it was just personal preferences.

The ship jolted to a halt as it completed its descent. Rey could hear a bit of commotion coming from outside the ship walls, but she could see nothing.

Both of the simultaneously unstrapped their seatbelts and got to their feet. Rey contemplated on speaking to Jarrok, but thought better of it and instead guided him to stay put behind her. Jarrok did as she asked, unsteadily shuffling until he was behind her.

Rey ignited her lightsaber and ordered the hangar doors to open. They slid down with a dark hiss. Sunlight poured through and almost blinded Rey—one of her hands went to her eyes while the other flicked on the switch for her staff saber. The familiar red glow offered some peace from the sun's yellow white glow.

Rey crouched down low and emerged from the final steps of the platform and out into the open air. Her eyes first took sight of a familiar emblem engraved on several people's jackets.

Right before she stared into the firm expression of Leia Organa.

* * *

 **Ohhhhh dangg what's uppp**


	13. Chapter 13

Rey descended down ship's ramp, lightsaber in full tow. The sun blinded her to a terrifying degree that she had to bring up her non-dominant hand—her left one—and cover her eyes. The risk of danger was too great once they noticed Damesh was not the one emerging, and she wouldn't risk her and Jarrok's death over some blunder as stupid as not being able to see.

Her footsteps slowed. Squinting her eyes, she discerned a sea of maybe half a dozen people all dressed in identical jackets. There was something strikingly similar about the pastels engraved on their fronts, but Rey paid them no mind. For the next sight gave her the greatest surprise of her life.

Leia Organa.

The woman's eyes were pensive. They were shelled and protected, wary at no doubt the two attendees on the ship. But Rey was no fool. She had always been good at reading people—a trait she picked up on Jakku, and she managed to see beyond the austere expression in her eyes to an emotion that didn't quite reach concern, but was almost there.

Rey's now-adjusted eyes scanned her surroundings. Everyone's expression was the same—solemn—but not hostile. Now more confused than anything else, she switched off her lightsaber, hesitating before clipping it on her belt. Her eyes never left the hardened face of Leia.

She had no idea what to even say. But that thought was immediately dismissed when Leia broke the silence.

"Rey."

That one word only confused Rey more. Out of everything she expected, it wasn't that. Her name was filled not with anger nor relief, but a void. It was entirely neutral, and that was what unsteadied her the most.

"Leia, I—"

Rey stopped. As soon as she said the general's name, something changed. Rey could visibly see it—whatever Leia was expecting, it wasn't what she got. Rey soaked in the general's new demeanor—a small shift of her foot meant nothing to ordinary civilians, but she knew it was to put her in a defensive position. And her eyes. Her eyes glazed over with failed recognition. No longer was she Rey, but a stranger before her eyes.

"Lock them up."

A Resistance man she had never seen before approached them. Rey's eyes widened.

"Leia, I—"

But she was already turning away, her back now toward Rey. Her plea seemed to stop her, if only for a split second, but then she resumed her walk away from them.

The bulky man approached them with confidence and pulled out a pair of binders. A little different than standard-issue First Order ones, but they would still serve the same purpose. Rey stared at them, unsure if she wanted to comply. She'd had enough of binders.

"What should I do, Lady Rey?"

It was evident by the reaction of the majority of Resistance members that they had heard Jarrok. Rey could see their postures tense and a couple of them even moved their hands to their sides.

"It's okay," she whispered back. She could feel Jarrok's helmet almost pressed against the back of her head. The rest of his body was undoubtly ready to fight, and this notion warmed her heart.

"Of course."

The two of them surrendered themselves willingly. The man slapped the binders around Rey's wrists first, then dealt with Jarrok. There was a small stiffening of his body, and then Rey remembered.

"My Knight," she said, turning her head to Jarrok. "He needs medical immediately. He's been severely injur—"

"Move it," the man said, pushing her forward. Rey stumbled a bit before balancing herself.

"I said—"

"The General said nothing about bringing him to medical."

Had the Resistance always been this dense or is it just this man?

"Leia didn't know he was hurt," Rey retorted. Then, realizing her argument was getting nowhere, she tried again. "He _needs_ medical, or he's going to die!"

She could see the man clench down on his teeth.

"Please," Rey pleaded. None of it was fake. She was genuinely concerned for the Knight, not just because of her promise to Sula, but also because his life was in her hands.

She could see the gears turning inside his head.

"Where's the injury?"

Rey breathed a quick sigh of relief. "On his side. A blaster bolt went through him."

The Resistance member peered at them, as if he didn't believe them or thought it was a ploy to escape. Rey didn't know how else to convince him. If anything, the expression on her face had to be enough.

In the end, he pulled out a comm device and spoke into it. She could faintly hear Leia's voice come out the other end, but couldn't make sense of what she said. The man nodded his head a couple of times before gesturing with his head.

"Take the Knight. Get him to medical."

Rey breathed a bigger sigh of relief, but then it grew into worry. She knew that if Leia granted her this request, then their relationship had to be reparable. And she also knew the Resistance would take care of him. She wasn't worried about any of these things. However, it was Jarrok who didn't know who the Resistance was. She was sure he was bred from youth and led to believe things about the Resistance that Rey was led to believe in regards to the First Order, none of which were pleasant.

"Jarrok, go with them," she whispered to him, their faces almost touching. She could see a faint glimmer of his eyes, a strikingly similar silver to another Knight she knew.

"You'll be okay. They'll take care of you." Rey leaned in even closer to him, and let some of her hesitancy escape. "Don't give them anything or cause trouble. Trust them, but not too much."

"Understood, Lady Rey."

Another Resistance member, this time a female, helped Jarrok walk. There was something familiar about her angry, oriental looks at her that stood out to Rey. She had seen her amongst the Resistance before, but it had to have been for the briefest of moments.

Half the Resistance members went with Jarrok and the girl. The rest of them dispersed after a final failed furtive glance at the newcomers, probably to return back to their stations.

That left Rey and the unnamed Resistance hulk.

It wouldn't be hard to escape, but Rey didn't for several reasons. The biggest reason was that Jarrok needed the medical treatment, and however small the Resistance number was, Rey had no doubts they had the technology to save him, especially if it was on Coruscant. The second was Rey's trust on Leia. The recognition had been there, and Rey was teeming with questions to try to explain all the chain of events that had been happening as of late. There were other reasons as well, but of unimportance.

Rey shook her head in disbelief. What was going on with her? Why did she have to rationalize her thoughts to not escape from the Resistance, the side that she was _loyal_ towards?

"This way," the man grunted.

"Where are we going?" Rey asked. If she didn't have her binders on, they would have looked like two ordinary people strolling around to any spectators. Not that there was any, for the platform they had landed on was directly attached to a building that Rey assumed could be none other than the new Resistance base. News about her arrival was probably getting old already.

"I have strict orders to take you to our holding room."

"Holding room?" Then it struck her. "You mean _prison_?"

"Call it whatever you want."

"I want to see Leia, not be put in a prison."

" _The General_ is a busy woman. When she has time to see you, she'll see you."

"I see some things haven't changed," Rey muttered. She couldn't shake off how out-of-place she felt. What was once a haven was now an uncertainty, one with a big question mark over its head. The only hopefulness she got out of it was her past. Leia, Finn, Poe, BB-8…

She had to blink back tears at how sudden her emotions hit her. Relieved at how his back was facing her, she continued to walk to the door leading to inside the building.

Until the man whirled around.

"Why did you do it?" Rey immediately took a step back and stared straight at him, her eyes still wet. She had an inkling of where this was going, and by the pit in her stomach, she didn't like it.

"Why did you do it?" he repeated, in a much softer tone this time. "The Resistance. What—"

"I don't know," Rey choked. "I don't know." And she didn't. She knew what he was going to ask, and she cut him off before he had a chance to vocalize it. She wasn't ready to hear it.

The two of them walked through the automated door that led to the inside of the building. Rey was presented with the highest ceilings she had ever seen, and her temporary weakness was halted by the spectacle. To see something like that inside a hangar was more appropriate, but inside here was surreal. There had to have been some Force-play here—there was no way the carvings and the structural integrity of the columns could have been carved at that high an elevation.

She was led down one hallway before approaching another door. They went through it, and this time the hallway was much narrower and the ceiling was proportionally lower. They resumed walking for a few more minutes. There were a few Resistance members that passed along them, but none of her friends. Rey couldn't help but think about how few people were around. She had to blink back more tears when she realized that the Battle on Crait took more lives than she originally thought and now had to face the truth: there were maybe just a handful of the Resistance that remained.

They stopped in front of a steely metal door with a narrow slit that was face-level in the door.

The man turned around and Rey saw how his face had softened. Determined not to be seen as weak, she gave him a curt nod. He opened the door and she slipped inside.

"There will be food brought to you if need be. Under no circumstances will you be allowed to leave. If you try anything…" the man's voice tapered off.

"I won't," Rey assured. "Will it be you delivering the food?"

"That I am not sure of."

"Can you tell whoever does if I could stay updated on Jarrok?"

The man gave a stiff nod. "I'll see what I can do." He yanked out a pair of keys and unlocked the binders, much to Rey's relief. Afterwards, he held out his hand. A brief look of confusion worked its way onto Rey's face at what he was implying. For a bizarre second she thought he was offering something, but then realized after peering into his lowered eyes that he was gesturing for something.

She quirked an eyebrow. "Do I have to?"

"The General has requested that it be done."

Rey shot him a smile that didn't reach her eyes. It was painful to even think about departing with it. Her weapon had already become an extension of her, and to leave it in he hands of a stranger did not sit well with her. But she didn't have much of a choice. Rey unwillingly unclipped her lightsaber and relinquished it to him. The man gave her a nod. Realizing that the talk was over, she turned her back to him, hearing the door snap shut as it locked.

She was left alone.

The room was just a room, functional at best. There was a small metal bed with nothing more than a blanket draped over it. Rey bit her lip at the sudden comparison of this to her bed on the Finalizer.

A small toilet was perched right next to the bed. Other than that, the room was dark and bare. There were no windows. If Rey were to lay down on the isolated, cold floor, she could stretch and have her feet touching one end of the wall and her fingertips the other.

There was a bitter taste brewing in her mouth. Out of everyone she had expected to greet them, the last person that came to her mind was Leia. And when she saw her, a tiny part of herself wanted to just drop everything and launch herself into her arms.

The last thing she expected was treatment like this. Although at the end of the day, she couldn't blame the General for taking precautionary measures.

She was locked away, like a slave. Locked away without anything but the clothes on her body. It was no different than when she was on Jakku. It was no different than when she was captured by the First Order.

There was war inside her. She could feel it—a conflict of interest. Horribly, ugly scars were revealing themselves. She had always known the First Order was capable of locking their prisoners up, but everything she had known about the Resistance was slashed, obliterated by her predicament. Trapped, with her privileges dependent on only what she would be given. Each side was exposed and welcomed the monstrosities that came with war.

They were two sides of the same coin. It was the ugly truth.

Rey pressed her back against the cold wall and slumped down until she hit the ground. It was so selfish, but all she could think about is how betrayed she felt. Out of everyone left in this galaxy, Rey thought that the only person she could have trusted was Leia.

Shaking her head, she brushed a stray tear away. No, that wasn't true. There was someone else now. Kylo.

No. It wasn't just him now. There was Sula also. However little time they spent together, Rey already found herself bonded with her. Not in the same sense as her and Kylo, but something wholeheartedly amicable. She had never done anything untrustworthy. Sula had never lied to her.

The more Rey pondered on it, the deeper she felt dragged down. How many people had she met over these last few days? The nameless faces of the First Order personnel, the Knights—she avoided thinking about Deimos—all of them, no matter how small or trivial, had played a role in getting her to where she was now.

And that was the biggest question of it all. Where was she now? Not physically, but in her journey to become her true self. Who was she?

Rey took an unsteady breath and raised her hands up in the dim light seeping through the slit in the door. She turned it around, staring at her palm for what seemed like eternity before moving her line of sight up her arm, soaking in her old outfit from Jakku that she was still wearing. Never had she felt so alien in them. Her attire sent her brain on a trip down memory lane and into nostalgia. She had scrapped the clothes off a scavenge in a warship when she was just a young girl, and made necessary adjustments as she grew. She had them when she was starving. She had them when she cried herself to sleep every night.

Maker, it felt like so long ago. So, so long ago.

And now, look where she was. It was like losing a loved one and only realizing how truly gone they were weeks later. This was similar—Rey hadn't even realized how much time had gone by until now.

And in that moment, she hated nothing in the world more than herself. She hated herself not for where she was, but for who she was. It was a long time ago that she waived her beliefs in any higher gods. There was only one thing that was pure and drove the galaxy—the Force. She was powerless against it, powerless against the path of her destiny and how it was shaping it.

It was so difficult to reel in her emotions. All Rey felt was frustration, and she had half a mind to use the Force to barge her way out of her cell and wander around the premises. Not escape, but wander, to just walk and possibly find a place to blow off steam.

But wait. It didn't work like that anymore. She couldn't just come and go as she pleased. She was seen as a threat.

Her frustration fizzled out until all that was left was loneliness. Not quite the same loneliness as when she was on Jakku, but loneliness nevertheless.

Rey took a deep breath, looked inside, and checked the bond. It was still there, left in the same degree of shadows as it was when she last checked up on it in Rost. Still completely aware of why it was like this in the first place, she spoke into it, forgoing her personal vendetta in order to melt away just a little bit of that loneliness.

 _Kylo?_

There was nothing at first, but she could sense him slowly approaching, tapping on the wall she put between him and her. Rey let some of her defenses drop, exposing a little piece of the bond, which immediately flared to life at the opening. Kylo immediately take advantage of it.

 _Rey! Where are you?! I've been trying to get through to you for hours!_

There was nothing calm about his voice. For a man who either tried his hardest to be stoic if not yelling with authority or anger in his voice, panic was the last thing Rey expected to hear, but it wasn't unwelcome. She actually found it endearing.

 _I'm okay, I think_.

 _The attack took us all by surprise. Damesh escaped—_

Rey interrupted him. _Can we talk about something else?_

Surprise flitted through the bond at her interjection.

 _Tell me where you are. I'm coming to get you._

 _No!_ At his grave tone, she jumped to her feet. A sudden image presented itself to her: Kylo was pacing back and forth in the medical bay. There were a few droids in irreparable clumps beneath his feet. A deep laceration was present below his left earlobe and ran all the way down his neck and to his shoulder. Another wound of what looked like to be a sharp stab was near his abdomen. Rey could see everything, for he was naked from the waist up.

 _Kylo! You're hurt!_ She exclaimed, ignoring the heat that rushed into her cheeks at the sight of his rippled physique.

He was about to answer her, but then they both sensed a ruffle of the curtains. Both their attentions turned to a few people draped with white coats walking in. She saw him wave them off.

"Leave me,"He growled.

"Supreme Leader, your injuries must be taken care—"

"Doctor, unless you are willing to depart with your hand, I suggest you leave. Now."

The doctor shared a clandestine look with his nurses before pursuing his lips.

 _Kylo, let the doctor take a look._

 _He was supposed to have done so already. And besides, I'm fine._

Oh, Maker. _Quit being so stubborn._

 _No._

 _Has it ever occurred to you that would've been patched up already if you didn't obliterate the medical droids?_ Rey snorted, resisting the urge to roll her eyes. _Do it? For me?_

They stared at each other for what seemed like a very long time. It took a lot of control on Rey's part to keep her eyes glued to his and not drop them any lower. Finally—

"Ten minutes," she heard him say. "Be back here in ten minutes."

Knowing that he wouldn't get Kylo to cooperate any further, the doctor agreed. "Very well," he said. "Ten minutes."

There was the sound of curtains draping back over to ensure his privacy, and the disappearing of footsteps.

 _Rey._

 _Kylo, you're hurt._

 _Never mind me,_ he shook his head. _Where are you? I need to come and get you_. At his words, he made to go grab his clothes, but stopped, pressing a hand to his stomach.

 _Maker, you're bleeding!_

 _It does that sometimes,_ he admitted.

 _It does that because you're tearing your skin apart! Stop being so childish and lay in bed._

 _Rey, I need you to tell me where you are._

 _Lay in bed first, Kylo._

 _I refuse._

 _If you don't do what I tell you now, I WILL shut the bond off again. This isn't a joke, you know_ , she threatened. _I mean it. Bed. Now._

Kylo must have really sensed that she was serious, for he pushed himself onto the bed without a single word.

 _Now tell me where you are._

 _And if I do_ , she said. _Will you promise not to overreact?_

 _Yes._

 _Promise me._

 _Fine. I promise._

Rey took a deep breath. _I'm—I'm with the Resistance._

Kylo immediately jumped out of bed and stalked closer to her until his face was just inches from hers.

 _You're what?!_

 _Kylo, it isn't as it seems!_ Rey pleaded, staring into his angry orbs.

 _How dare you?_

Rey's mouth dropped and she slapped him. Hard. It was only the second time in her life she had ever made physical contact through the bond. She knew it wasn't really physical, but her palm against his cheek felt like a real palm against a cheek nonetheless.

 _No, how dare you?!_ She yelled back at him. _How dare you accuse me of returning to the Resistance!_

 _I wasn't—_

 _Do not play games with, Kylo Ren! You understand nothing of the truth, and instead fill your head with false assumptions!_

 _You were off the grid for hours!_ Maker, now he was snarling too. _All I had for hours was assumptions! You have absolutely NO idea how concerned I was for you!_

Rey stared into his venomous eyes. At this moment, more than anything else, she hated him.

And then she wrapped her hand around the back of his neck and hungrily smashed his lips against hers.

Her brain exploded in a permanent display of fireworks as she could literally feel the rough texture of his lips smeared against her own. She wasted no time and roughly shoved her tongue into his mouth, savoring the slipperiness of his flesh.

Kylo wasted no time either. She could sense his anger immediately drop and replace with lust. Their tongues battled for dominance, and Rey won. She backed her fight up with as much hate and craving and desire as she could, animalistically claiming him as hers.

Kylo's hands soon came alive. One of them drew her closer into him until they were pressed against one another. His other palm pushed under the curve of her rear, lifting her up. Rey sprang into his grip and wrapped her legs around his waist as tight as she could with her thighs until she was being supported by his hands and arms alone. Both of her hands pried and tugged at the messy black locks tumbling from the scalp of his head as she moaned into the kiss. She could feel him growing down under, and it did nothing but spiral her into a further daze. A further desire to rip off all their clothes and just have him disappear inside of her. She could just imagine how warm and full she would be and this, combined with edged hate, fueled and strengthen her attacks on his mouth.

 _Kylo!_ She could feel herself wettening, juices escaping from her netherfolds and soaking her underwear. All for him. She gave a snarl of protest as he broke apart from her lips but it turned into a heady moan as she suddenly felt him begin to munch on her neck so hard that it tore the vessels underneath. Rey moved one of her hands to his neck and began to squeeze, edging him on. Something in her knew that he would savor her token of appreciation, and it was affirmed by a suck so strong that she saw stars for a millisecond. She couldn't take it anymore.

 _Fuck me. Now_.

She could hear him give off a wild growl and feel him growing even larger. Her eyes widened with glassy lust at the possibilities of what he could do to her. Savor her. Claim her. Dominate her.

There was the sound of a door opening. And just like that, the moment was ruined.

"I have orders to bring you to the Gen—"

Kylo was ripped away from her, wordlessly fading into the pitch-black abyss before she could do anything. Rey spun around to see her uninvited visitor. Without the bond promoting her, she fell from a criss-crossed, meditative state flat onto her butt, sprawling onto the floor for only the briefest of seconds before she sprang back up.

"How dare you?!" she screeched. Acting on impulse, she raised her hand up toward the new Resistance member, a man who couldn't have been more than twenty, and clenched her fist.

It was the first time she had truly meant to cause harm without any second thoughts, but the anger coursing through her veins ran unparalleled to anything she had ever felt. It took control of her. Her vision narrowed until her eyesight went red, and the only thing she could see were the man's hands feebly tugging at the invisible choke.

"How dare you?" she asked again. He was now turning blue and his eyes were bulging out of their sockets. There was a seed of dark pleasure that began to grow and spread into Rey's consciousness, and Rey gave in to it. She could see the life disappearing from his eyes, and it gave her quite a thrill. But all it took was a few more seconds of admiration at the raw power she held before the darkness was stopped in its tracks and the illusion snapped. She yanked her hand back as if pulling it out from boiling pot. The man fell to the ground, barely conscious. The sight of his helplessness instigated a flicker of guilt inside of Rey, but she brushed it off.

"Stand up."

He was in no condition to do so. Rey raised her hand and pulled him to his feet and slid him toward her, holding his shoulders until he could erect himself.

"Please—"

His plead was what got to her. That, and the terrified whimper he gave when she took a small step forward. In a snap second, Rey made up her mind.

"Look at me," she said, easing some comfort into her voice. "Please."

The man's labored breathing and sobs began to slow as he did as she asked. Rey took this as a positive sign and continued.

"You will not remember this," she spoke meticulously, staring him dead in the eyes.

A blank stare began to gloss over his orbs.

"I will not remember this," he said.

"You came in the cell—" Rey stopped, remembering what he had interrupted. A sudden desire to snap his neck came to her mind as her anger began to brew again, but she shrugged it off. She quickly returned her attention back to the matter at hand before her she messed things up.

"You came in the cell and was met with my figure laying on the bed. Nothing else."

"I came in the cell and was met with your figure laying on the bed."

"You will do as originally commanded and bring me to General Leia Organa."

The man nodded and Rey broke off the trance-like state that she put her voice in. And just like that, things were back to normal.

"I have orders to take you to General Organa."

"My wait wasn't long at all, then. I'm sure you're aware of the situation that I'm in."

The young man rocked a few times on the balls of his feet. Rey frowned, slightly worried that her mind trick coercion had failed.

"What is it?"

The man shot a furtive look at her and Rey realized that his response to her wasn't because of her mind trick, but because he was scared of her. She began to grow a little exasperated at his reaction, but at the same time, a small part of her was secretly pleased—pleased at how she could elicit this kind of emotional terror. She'd never admit it out loud, though.

"I won't bite," she told him. "Even though you did—" she cut herself off and had to remind herself that what he saw didn't actually happen in his mind.

The man nodded briefly and re-opened the door. They walked out and she had only had a few seconds to adjust her eyes back to the bright lights before they set off.

"You're Rey," the man broke the silence a few awkward minutes into their walk. His curiosity had obviously taken the better of him.

"Yes. And you are?"

"Elland."

"I've never seen you with the Resistance before."

He fiddled with the hem of his jacket.

"I'm not going to tell the First Order about how you came to join the Resistance, if that's what you're worried about."

He gave another thought as if to take her words into consideration before finally saying, "I'm from Canto Bight."

"Canto Bight?" she racked her brain. Canto Bight…Canto Bright…

"Unless you're dripping with money, then the name probably doesn't mean anything to you."

"I remember now. Cantonica, a desert planet like Jakku. Why'd someone like you leave a place like that?"

For someone who was originally scared of her, he seemed more than willing to open himself up to her. It was only human nature to like talking about himself, she supposed.

"It's true that the population could escape from war when all that surrounds them is dirty gambling. Everyone's there to have fun. It's neutral territory. I was a stableboy for the Fathiers. These big space horses that people liked to gamble on during races. I also looked after the other children who were much younger than me. Life is difficult for us there. Most of us seek a purpose in life. I'd rather die than to ignore the monstrosities of war."

"And now you're with the Resistance. A bold move."

"I had always heard stories. Quite a lot of stableboys are planning on joining, once they reach adulthood."

Rey took his words into consideration. The man had just given her crucial information that could be used from a tactical point of view, and he himself was unaware of it.

"How in Maker's name did you even get from there to Coruscant?"

"I ran away when all the destruction happened. Two Resistance members themselves managed to uproot the entire casino."

"Oh?"

The man looked behind them for any eavesdroppers. Rey didn't even bother, for she could sense through the Force that they were alone.

"Finn and Rose."

A chill washed over Rey. The latter of the names meant nothing to her but the first…

Angst doused her, and her memories sent her into the past. Into when they had first met on Jakku, and how they had escaped together on the Millennium Falcon. How they had found the Resistance and their pivotal roles on Starkiller Base.

What would he think of her now? Would he be quick to turn on her, just as Leia had? Would he be able to understand?

 _Of course not._ A nagging voice appeared in Rey's mind and she did a double-take at the unexpected intrusion. _Why would he be friends with someone who stands with the First Order, when he himself tried so hard to escape from them?_

"Finn…is he here now?"

"I believe so," was the suspicious answer.

"I know him. He's my friend."

 _He's not your friend,_ the voice taunted. _If he was, he would have seen you already. He's deliberately avoiding you. He hates you_.

Rey furiously shook her head to empty the sudden voice. She redirected her focus on her hands, completely forgetting that she wasn't restrained.

"I suppose a lack of binders means that the General doesn't consider me a threat anymore." Rey said this with a hint of steel in her voice.

"General Organa requested that I bring you to her private quarters. I suppose that must stand for something."

"Yes, it does," she muttered. The man didn't know how to respond to that, so they were left walking in sheer silence until they stopped in front of a large, white door. Knowing that Leia was on the other side was more than enough to fill her with a sense of urgency to dismiss her company. Giving Elland a brief thanks, she turned her attention to the door.

Maybe there was a sensor, or maybe the General was waiting for the right time. Regardless, the door slid to the side, revealing Leia. Even though the woman was shorter than herself, she radiated control. Her firm eyes settled on Rey's and then she opened her mouth.

"We need to talk."

* * *

Another chapter! I have the feeling that some of you won't agree on with the direction I'm moving Rey toward, whereas it be, 'I can't ever see her doing this' or 'she's turning dark too fast!' or 'how is she not being overswarmed with conflict?' I'll try to explain to the best of my degree.

The darkness was always a part of Rey. Even in canon with the movies and all, there are visible moments where she channels the Dark Side (anger especially), i.e. when she fights Kylo on Starkiller, when she struggled against Snoke and later, the Praetorian guards. The darkness is something that is literally a core part of her existence and she's tempted by it. Terrible analogy, but it's like those stories you hear of a very innocent person heading off to college then becoming wild. People say they change, but the reality of it is that underneath the innocence, that's who they really were. All they needed was the catalyst that brought it out. The catalyst, or 'college' in this situation would be Kylo and his teachings. As mentioned earlier in the fanfic, Kylo told her she would slowly change into who she was. Sometimes the way she reacts to a situation (passively) or not at all is because she herself doesn't know that what she's doing is necessarily wrong or warrants emotion. To her, she is behaving regularly. And she might even possibly be a little confused. I mean, I'm sure any one of us would be if we were put through the same chain of events she was. Poor girl. She must be exhausted.

My goal eventually is to have her the way she was at the beginning of the fanfic, but switched. So instead of being mostly light with a bit of dark deep inside her, it'll be mostly dark with a bit of light deep inside her.

An artwork was recently released a few days ago and I am in LOVE with it! This is the kind of person I envision her as in the future - except she'd have a double-bladed lightsaber instead (maybe hers can detach into two individual ones; who knows?). Credit goes where credit's due (Dimitri Morson)

For some reason, fanfiction isn't letting me post links. If you type go to artstation and then add /artwork/dNd2W, you'll be able to see the image I'm talking about!

New update soon!


	14. Chapter 14

"We need to talk."

Rey gave her a courteous nod. "Of course."

Leia leaned against the wall and gestured Rey in. She did as invited, taking care to try to get a read on Leia's emotions. Again, she was presented with a blank canvas.

The room was minimal. It was no larger than her quarters on the Finalizer. In one corner was a plain bed and the other was a small table. There was a plump, cream-colored three-piece sofa sitting in the middle of the room, facing a projection device of what Rey could only assume to be used for accessing the HoloNet. There were no decorations anywhere except for a pair of gold dice that hung off a single hook that was drilled into the wall right above the nightstand where her lightsaber rested.

All of this was taken in by Rey within a few seconds, just in time for her to hear the door slide shut. She turned back around, making sure to keep Leia in her sights. Gone were the motherly vibes she had grown used to in the short amount of time she was in the Resistance.

"Sit."

Rey thought against it, but decided to oblige. She sat down at the table which, coincidentally, had two chairs.

Leia moved to the other chair. It didn't escape Rey's notice that she did it gingerly, hobbling over. Her arms trembled as she tried propping herself in a position to sit. Rey scooted her chair back and stood up, breaking the small distance between them.

"Here. Let me help."

A sharp flash ran over Leia's features but she didn't protest as Rey's nimble hands rested on her shoulders and helped ease her into the chair. It was like instant relief. As soon as Leia leaned herself against the back of her chair, Rey could see the strain disappear. She frowned, unsure of what was happening before she made her way back to her own seat.

"It has been a while, Rey," Leia finally spoke, breaking the silence that had engulfed them for the last minute.

"That it has," she mumbled. For some reason, she found it hard to maintain eye contact with Leia.

"It has been a little more than a week. A lot has happened since Crait."

"That short? It feels like much longer."

Leia stared hard at her before speaking again.

"Let's drop the pleasantries, Rey." Leia closed her eyes. Rey wasn't sure what to expect, but she could say she certainly wasn't expecting Leia to heave a monumental sigh. When she opened her eyes, it was like she had aged decades.

"I saw the catastrophe of Rost."

Rey clenched her fists. True, the destruction felt like forever ago, but her memories were still fresh. She tried really hard to reel back her anger toward Leia, only succeeding when she saw that the General wasn't here to fight.

"What news has there been on the HoloNet?" She kept her voice steady.

Whether Leia noticed the façade or not, she didn't acknowledge it.

"The city is destroyed. The casualty count rose just above two hundred. The rest managed to escape aboard the city's emergency passenger ships."

"Two hundred people…" Rey's voice tapered off. The sickest part of it all wasn't that she felt terribly sorry for these people. It was that even though the First Order was responsible for millions, she never in a million years would have imagined Leia to be the propagator of the slaughter of civilians, even if it was only two hundred souls.

"Rey," Leia whispered, and Rey raised her head. This was the first time Leia had slipped a distinguishable emotion in her voice. "I'm sorry."

That did it. Rey stood up, kicking the chair over in the process.

"You're _sorry_?!" she shouted. A tiny look of fear plastered itself on Leia's face, but only for a split second before her lips pursed again. She didn't respond to Rey's outburst, and this only served to irk Rey more.

"Sorry for what?!" she continued. "For the death of those two hundred people, or for ruining the lives of thousands? That's all you have to say? You're _sorry_?!" Rey sneered.

"Rey, I would like to discuss—"

"Why don't you admit you're wrong, _General_ ," Rey mocked. "Out of everyone in this galaxy, you were the last person I'd expect to stoop so low—to resort to this kind of sick, despicable act. You were supposed to be the model of righteousness. What happened to everything the Resistance strived for? Or have you been so blinded by your vendetta against the First Order—"

"Rey—"

"Yes, I'm going to go there, Leia. Why don't you admit it? You let your own personal struggles consume you. You let it construe the goals of the Resistance for a selfish vendetta. You were so angry about Master Luke—no, your brother—and his death that you took it upon yourself to sit behind your throne of invincibility by paying someone to do the dirty work and attack the First Order without considering the consequences!" Rey finished her spiel, her heart thudding as painfully as she was breathing.

Leia turned her attention to something in her ear. Rey took great offense to that, but then realized that someone was trying to speak to her over her communicator. She couldn't hear what they were saying, but she could definitely hear Leia's response.

"Yes, I am okay. Just an altercation. No, there's no need to come in. Everything's under control."

It did strike Rey as odd originally how Leia invited her over into her chambers, as the General and leader of the Resistance for a private discussion, but now she realized that Leia was never unprotected. She must have posted help outside in case something had happened. She found that this just added another layer of irritation.

Leia finished reassuring whoever was on the other end of the line and then yanked out her earpiece, setting it on the table before them.

"My decisions will haunt me for the rest of my life."

"We all lose loved ones. It's inevitable. But to retaliate the way you did?" Rey asked, her voice cracking. "It's unspeakable."

Leia sighed again. "I had my doubts when hiring him. Han used to always tell me to never trust mercenaries. They don't care how they get the job done, so long as they get paid. The agreement was for him to destroy the First Order's transport ships, nothing else."

She looked Rey in the eyes. "I have never regretted anything, because at the end of the day, it always worked out. But I'm afraid I can't say the same for my actions this time. You're right, Rey," Leia admitted.

It somewhat unsettled her, knowing that someone as strongfooted as Leia was fessing up to her faults.

"I made a grave mistake, and I have to live with it. There is no excuse for my actions. I was wrong."

Rey's sigh rivaled Leia's. She was right: the past would never change. People could lament, but they would never be able to change the past. It would take time to cover the ugly stain. And Rey took this into account. She herself was no different. How many people placed _her_ as the model of righteousness only to be let down?

As much as Rey's endless capacity to hate, she could never see Leia as a pure enemy, no matter how much she changed. The ultimate relationship—a mother-like figure that was there for Rey when no one had been for her whole life—would unanimously supersede any current feelings of misgivings. But that didn't mean she would forget. Forgive, but never forget.

"I am sorry, Rey."

Rey shook her head. "I forgive you, but it's not me you should be apologizing to."

"I should start somewhere. I always figured you would understand." Leia gave her a grim smile.

"Oh? Please enlighten me with how you reached that conclusion."

There was sheer silence for an extended period of time. Rey knew Leia had something to say, but was juggling whether it would be beneficial to the conversation at hand to vocalize it.

"I gave in, Rey," she finally said. "I gave in to my emotions. I surrendered to them and it led to this."

"Oftentimes emotions are misguided, but with the proper guidance, they can be utilized as a powerful weapon. You say that as if it's a bad thing. Which it isn't," Rey expressed, seeing how Leia was about to interrupt her. "Emotions make you stronger. Passion is key. It's what you do with it that matters."

"The point is," Leia continued, brushing her off. This annoyed Rey but she had enough control to squash it. "I am the figure of the Resistance. I have to be brave and show character. I have to present myself to what the Resistance should see me as—a General capable of keeping them alive and winning the war. I have always been Force-sensitive, Rey, but never actively sought to train in it like you have. I never noticed until then, but my brother had always been half of me. I could feel him inside. When Luke disappeared—"

"You lost a piece of your soul," Rey finished.

Leia nodded. "Exactly."

Rey knew what Leia was referring to. When she came to terms with whatever connection she and Kylo shared, she had envisioned what it would be like if one of them were killed. Just the mere thought of it at the time had begun to put Rey into a depressed stupor. What Leia must be experiencing was far harsher.

"The Force works in mysterious ways, Leia. If it's one thing I've come to learn over the last week, it's that there is a reason behind every decision."

"You place a lot of faith in the Force."

Rey shrugged. "No faith should be placed anywhere else. The Force is all-ruling. It's all-consuming. It connects everything in the galaxy and everyone has it. It represents the energy of all living things. We owe our lives to it." Her eyes scanned Leia. She was wearing the same metallic woven fabric cape that Rey had come to know her in. She hadn't changed one bit. "How is the Resistance?"

"Standing strong. We are nowhere the numbers we once were, so it's best to lay low. But the battle is far from over. Fighting to persevere over the methodologies of the First Order and persist in what we believe in…that matters the most." Leia's face scrunched up and she suddenly gave a rattling cough that persisted for a few seconds before residing.

"I must say," Leia leaned back into her chair. "I never expected our reunion to fold out this way. You have changed in more than one way." Her eyes slanted over to the object on the nightstand. "You have also created your own weapon."

Without asking for permission, Rey raised her hand to the side and lazily called her lightsaber over. Out of the corner of her eye, she viewed Leia stiffening, but ignored her. When the hilt touched her bare skin, she gave a tiny shiver of excitement at the tingles that arose. Quelling the desire to turn it on and admire the red glow, she instead turned her attention back to the General.

"Would you like to see it?"

"I already have, when you came off the ship." Her voice had adopted a cold edge to it.

Something about the slight hostile tone in Leia's voice spurred her on.

"Come on, Leia. You can't leave my lightsaber in plain view and expect it not to return to its owner," she teased. "Are you sure you don't want to see it? It really is quite beautiful." She took another draught of the sleek, glistening metal. "I suppose I should thank you. If it wasn't for Damesh, I wouldn't be here."

"I never wanted him to keep the Resistance a secret," Leia pushed forward, disregarding Rey's dark, playful nature. "The moment that I contacted him, he would have known anyways. I requested that he explain to you the situation—that I wanted to see you. Although I doubt you would've believed him, given the havoc he wrecked to the city."

"But he trapped you in the ship under the pretense that they were an independent party," Leia continued. "Perhaps he saw something about you I did not during the Battle of Rost."

Rey wasn't sure whether Leia's low undertone was a threat or a warning.

"Is there a specific reason for why you requested my presence so suddenly?"

Leia clasped her hands together. "Later—that doesn't matter right now. Damesh, he's—

"Dead."

"Yes. I had two Resistance members guard over the ship and they found the bodies. The Knights of Ren are as formidable as they sound."

Leia met Rey's gaze.

"Jarrok didn't do it." Rey leaned in, knowing what she was going to say would unnerve her. "I killed him. And you know what, Leia?" She leaned in even closer until she was in her ear, deciding to have a little fun. "I kind of liked it."

She withdrew to see a look of defiance on Leia's face, but the General stood her ground. "Tell me what happened."

"Just Damesh?"

"Everything."

"It's a long story."

"We have time. And before I forget, I received your message," she said out of the blue.

"What message?" Rey asked, racking her brain.

"The one you sent soon after you were taken by the First Order. Why do you think I haven't taken the liberty to contact you? I believed you to be held against your will, and to take the risk of sending an encrypted transmission to the Finalizer would raise many red flags if it was found."

Rey shook her head. "I originally thought the First Order was holding me against my will as well," she admitted. "But things…things have changed since then."

Leia remained silent, and Rey took that as a cue for her to begin.

So Rey did. She started from when she woke up in the interrogation room after the Battle of Crait, deciding to spare Leia the reminders of her former teacher and his battle with Kylo Ren. She breezed over the few days that she spent on the Finalizer, ignoring the finer details such as the time when she Force-choked the Stormtrooper and almost killed General Hux. She found the telling of being taught to come with ease too and begrudgingly admitted that she had begun to assimilate to the First Order, but once she reached Kylo, her voice hitched and her cheeks began to involuntarily redden on their own. She was sure it was visible to Leia, but the woman didn't acknowledge it. Continuing forth, she talked about Sula and the forge of her lightsaber all the way up to their landing on Rost and the chain of events that happened after, up until her story of how she escaped the crumbling debris only to be presented with Damesh and Jarrok as his captive.

"Kylo fooled Supreme Leader Snoke. I'm sure there has been news on the HoloNet of how he died?"

"Sliced in half by a lightsaber."

"What the HoloNet doesn't cover is how he did it. The lightsaber was next to Snoke. With a flick of a finger," Rey curled hers for a demonstration. "He turned the weapon to the side and ignited it. It's the same methodology I used to kill Damesh."

"And how do you feel?"

How _did_ she feel? Rey thought to herself before answering.

"A bit guilty, but I did what had to be done."

"I see."

There was a much higher meaning behind those two words that Leia said, and if she guessed correctly, Leia was questioning her.

Rey stretched and popped her wrist. "I'm still the same Rey."

Leia shook her head. "No. You are a new Rey. Don't you remember that I'm Force-sensitive?"

"Absolutely. How could I forget?"

"I've never been able to manipulate the Force physically beyond anything outside of cheap parlor tricks. Ask for me to light your candle or float a piece of silverware and I can do it," Leia chuckled and then stopped. "But using the Force to move objects around or doing mind tricks is far beyond my level of expertise. Imagine the surprise I felt when I sensed you on the ship."

"You already knew I was aboard even before the doors lowered," Rey said, moderately impressed.

"Yes. I sensed a looming presence within, one unlike anything I've ever felt before. This was a new Force. As I'm sure you already know, unless a Force user hides their energy signature, they are easy to read. On the surface, it's black and white. When one reads another Force-user's energy signature, it's easy to identify the feel of the energy."

"Light or dark."

"Each side has its characteristics."

"Right. Master Luke taught me. A light-user or dark-user could sense both light and dark."

"Yet when I read you," Leia squinted. "I see a mixture of both light and dark inside you."

"It may be that I am just in transition."

"It may be, and yet this has rarely been heard of in history. One minute I sensed pure darkness, and the next I sense light, but right now, I sense a perfect balance. It's as if your spirit can tap into both energies."

"Although I can access both pools, it would ultimately depend on how I often I choose to dip into each."

Leia pushed back her chair with her mind set on something. Rey followed suit, intending on helping Leia stand. But then she shook her head.

"The top drawer in the nightstand—there's a book."

Rey raised her hand and pulled open the drawer, sensing its contents. There was a notepad and a pen and pencil on the left corner. On the right was something much bulker and much more worn and torn. She closed her grip around it and Force-called it over until it lay closed directly in front of her.

"This is an old Jedi text that my brother had his whole life. As much as he tried to convince you he was noble, he was quite the trouble-maker when he was young—he was quite the rebel, going against his Master's wishes. There was a time where he stole an ancient Jedi text and kept it for the remainder of his life."

"A Jedi text…" Rey murmured. "The Jedi temple on Ahch-To had many of these."

"The Jedi texts on Ahch-To were ones assembled by my brother himself. Although, they are no longer there. The temple burned."

Rey's eyes widened. "All of the history gone…there has to be more in the galaxy."

"There were many, until all that remained was the very first—on Ahch-To—until it burned down. This could very well be the last Jedi text in the entire galaxy."

"Well," Rey said, tapping her foot and feigning innocence. "I wouldn't say _last_ …" she drew out. "I may have snatched the books from the tree before it burned down."

Leia stared at her for a long second before pulling her head back and laughing. Real laughter. Not a forced, banal chuckle, but a real laugh.

"You remind me of him. Luke."

Rey's eyes dropped from Leia's face to the book. There was a slight feeling of remorse inside her at the thought of Luke. There were a lot of things about Rey's past that she would never forget and possibly change if she had the chance to, and her ties with his life was a prime example.

Leia's laughter died after she saw that Rey didn't share the sentiment. Her commander eyes scrutinized the young girl sitting across from her, fingers fanning over the book.

"Aurebesh," Rey muttered to herself. She had never learned the language, but there was something in her that recognized it as familiar.

"Luke wanted me to give the text to you when it was necessary. Now is appropriate."

There was a word that caught her eye on the very first page that caught her eye.

"Force-bonds." All of a sudden, Rey had an inkling that many of her questions would be answered. Eager to read what the text had to offer, she tucked it inside the side of her pants, where she knew it would be safe.

"It was his hope that you would find everything you need in this text."

The conversation was coming to a close—Rey could sense it. Curious as to when she'd have time to read it and how Leia would respond, she asked: "Are you going to throw me into jail again?"

"No," Leia firmly stated. "About that, we need to discuss accommodations." She paused and Rey could see the gears turning. "Against many of the Resistance's wishes, I am giving you full rights to the Resistance base and its amenities. That includes the hangar, recreation area, lounges, and cafeteria. You will not be kept in binders, tracked, nor have someone by your side or that you must report to at any time. I have also given you access to your personal living quarters, next to the medical ward."

Rey was taken back at the gestures, pleased at how much trust Leia was putting in her. Whatever she was expecting as a response, it was not that. She was going to say something but stopped when it became apparent that Leia wasn't done.

"There are two wings in the new facility, West and East. Resistance member rooms amongst the list of amenities I mentioned are all in the East, directly connected to the landing platform you arrived on. We are in the West, where the medical ward and private housing reside. The exit to the Galactic City lies on the border of the West Wing, just beyond the medical ward. However, I advise against crossing the boundaries of the Resistance base. Once past, you will be in the heart of Coruscant. I am sure you are versed with their tolerances for Dark Force-users."

Upon seeing Rey's expression, she elaborated.

"All the galaxy reacts directly to news from the HoloNet, which although is accurate in some parts, has also misrepresented you. Coruscant has not taken to your defection lightly."

Rey made a mental note.

"You have a lot of power on Coruscant."

"In the past, perhaps. But my name only offers so much these days."

Rey was just about to ask her whether Leia believed she would stay with the Resistance when Leia answered her question.

"Granted, the stay is mandatory only for the time it takes for your Knight to recuperate. You are free to visit him anytime during working hours. The medical ward, as I mentioned earlier, is in the West Wing. After his release, your stay is optional."

Rey heard the open-ended offer at the end. Even though she couldn't come up with a specific answer for Leia, Rey appreciated the willingness of Leia to allow her to make her own decisions. It also hit her that this private meeting between the two of them was probably nothing more than for Leia to access her mental stability. If she posed a viable threat to the Resistance, then she doubted Leia would have offered her the same hospitality that she was given and thrown her back into the tiny cell.

"Duty calls. Thank you for taking the time to meet with me."

"It's not like I had much of a choice, did I?"

"No," Leia agreed, her mouth set in a grim line. Rey could literally see her eyes harden. Just like that, the General was back.

Leia made to stand up. Again, Rey was caught off guard by her unsteady gait trembling hands. She got to her feet much faster this time and helped Leia to stand, frowning in the process.

Leia extended Rey her arm and showed her to the door. The door slid open to reveal an empty hallway. Her stationed backup had left already.

"As I mentioned, many of the Resistance members do not agree with my decisions. It is my wish that you will not do anything to question the hospitality you have been given."

Rey gave her a small bow. "General." She turned to open hallway. There was a bittersweet taste on Rey's tongue. The conversation between the pair did not go the way she had expected things to unfold, and she wasn't sure if it was for the better or worse.

"And Rey."

"Yes?" she asked, twisting her head just far enough so that she could catch Leia with her peripherals.

"Do try to control your anger."

Rey gave Leia a deliberate show by fiddling with her lightsaber before a lighthearted smirk appeared. "Of course, General."

* * *

 **Another chapter. I really struggled my way through this one. Originally, I had planned on a complete one-sided reaction to where Rey decides Leia's act is** unforgiveable **, but it just didn't sit right with me. As dark as Rey could ever get, I don't think she'd ever fall to the point where she just completely erases her past - she's far too sentimental. I see her as the type of Dark force user that means business takes pleasure from causing other's pain with a playful side to her reserved only for people she shares personal bonds with. I don't see her dropping her past, as much as** Kylo **will tell her to. She treasures memories far too much, which is perfectly understandable for a scavenger who had no memories of anything positive or significant in her life until she got dragged into the fray by BB8.**


	15. Chapter 15

**Hi, sorry! Just a head's up, this chapter is mostly filler. Just a quick reunion with her Knight, who's in medical. The real meeting with the real Resistance begins the chapter after! Hope you all enjoy! If this chapter feels rushed, it's because it was. I am sooo busy right now, but I will make sure that the non-filler chapters are as well-written as possible!**

* * *

Rey stretched her arms and grunted for a solid minute before sighing in content.

Her sleep for the last two nights had been one of the best ones in her life. On the first night after her private meeting with Leia and with all the catastrophe that had happened, she was bone-tired. So, so tired. She didn't even examine the room. All she did the moment she got in was strip off her dirty scavenger clothes and immediately tuck herself in naked.

She spent the entire day in bed, sleeping. She didn't even eat. At that moment, sleep had taken precedence over anything else she needed in order to survive.

The second day was no different. Rey spent the entire day in her room. She woke up hungry, but that slipped her mind the moment her eyes settled on the Jedi text. She had spent the entire day familiarizing herself with the language and absorbing all the information the text had to offer. Although it enlightened her with invaluable information, it also placed many questions in her mind.

One of the few joys about the tiny room she was cramped in was that it had its own refresher. The water almost scalded her flesh away, but it made her feel alive. Something about a hot shower was as rejuvenating as a plateful of real food on an empty stomach.

Leia must have taken the liberty to stock the room with clothes. As far as Rey could tell, she and the General were the only ones who had a private room to themselves. There were only a few in the hallway, to begin with. The rest of the Resistance probably had bunks; that's how it had been in the past.

Rey frowned when she opened the drawers. She didn't know what to expect, but she thought that the supplies would at least be…different. There was a pair of basic cargo pants that all the Resistance members wore alongside a tan t-shirt with a—

Rey brushed her fingers over the Resistance jacket. For some reason, the thought of wearing it sickened her. She searched the rest of the drawers only to come up short. There was nothing else, and if she didn't choose to wear it, then the only clothes she had were her original dirty outfit.

"Leave it to that woman to think of something like this."

The refresher had a washer and Rey chuckled in disbelief.

She dumped her clothes from Jakku into the machine and slipped on a pair of underwear and then the full Resistance outfit. There was no food-ordering service in her chambers, and she wasn't going to sit in the room for the next few days. She had things to do, duties to fulfill—

Duties?

Rey juggled her options. She could go look for members of the Resistance. Finn, Poe…especially BB8. She missed that cute little droid. Call her a perfectionist, but there was just something about straightening his antenna and his response that made her smile.

But that was the past. Her smile slowly slipped. Finn was probably ignoring her. Poe…she wasn't too close to him, and if Finn was ignoring her, then Poe was probably worse.

Then her mind went to Jarrok and immediately, Rey began to chew her lip. In a split second, she made up her mind.

The medical ward wasn't hard to find; it was in the same wing as her room, after all. Two hallways and a few turns later, and she was there. Apart from the metal door, there was nothing else signifying its importance.

The doors slid through. She took a few steps forward but was immediately stopped by a doctor passing through with his nose in his clipboard.

"The ward is currently closed—"

"I'm here to see my Knight," Rey interrupted.

The doctor's head lifted. Rey watched as he soaked in her Resistance jacket like nothing new, but then he lost all color when his eyes moved to her face and began stammering.

"O—O—I'm so—sorry, yes. Of course. R—Right this way."

Maybe it was the apex predator in her, but there was something about the sound of a scared man in obvious terror at her that caused her blood to sing. There was something empowering and delicious about the look of fear as he recognized her for who she was.

Still, she wasn't here to fight, and she owed it to Leia for her mother figure in the past to be cordial to these people.

"Thank you," she said, silently chastising the dark within her. The doctor gave a nervous nod and strode forward past a couple of hallways. Rey followed him until he stopped at a blank door. He took a file that was dangling from the door.

"He is awake and conscious as of early this morning," the doctor told her. "Would you like me to debrief you on his condition?"

"Debrief?" Rey asked, quirking her eyebrow. "No, thank you. I'll talk to him myself."

"O—Of course. I'll be right outside if you need anything."

"That won't be necessary, doctor. You must be busy. Please, go about your other duties."

Rey didn't bother knocking on the door. She didn't bother hiding her Force signature and she was sure Jarrok could sense her.

As anticipated, he was already sitting up.

"Lady Rey," he greeted.

"Jarrok," Rey responded, soaking in his appearance. His black clothes were stripped off his body and strewn on the counter next to the Bacta tank. He himself was wrapped in white gauze in which the width stretched from just under his sternum to his pelvis.

"What brings you here?"

There was something off about Jarrok. As soon as Rey stepped through the door, she couldn't help but think that he was keeping something from her.

"I'm just checking up on you." She sat down in a Force-pulled chair and then rested her hand on top of his. "How is the recovery?"

"Slow," Jarrok replied, and Rey immediately got the vibe that he was lying. "I was in the Bacta tank for the entire day yesterday. I also feel sore."

"You did take a blaster bolt through the stomach, after all. I'm not surprised."

"Lady Rey, how goes your situation with the Resistance?" Jarrok's eyes dips to Rey's jacket.

Rey squirmed and tossed the jacket off. "Don't start making assumptions. It was the only thing I could find in my chambers. My own clothes were dirty."

"If you are looking for a new pair of clothes, there is one in the storage unit of my ship."

"As much as I appreciate your concern, I don't think your clothes would fit."

"Not for me. For you."

Rey lifted an eyebrow. "Explain."

Jarrok hoisted himself up to a more comfortable position. "The Supreme Leader requested that all the Knights carry spare clothes on board of their ships in case you needed a quick change of attire."

Rey stared at him for a solid ten seconds before throwing her head back and laughing.

"You can't be serious! Kylo Ren asked you all to do this?!"

The corner of Jarrok's mouth twitches. "Didn't ask. Commanded."

Rey waved her hand absentmindedly. "Commanded, right. I forgot. Kylo can be a condescending arse sometimes, don't you think?"

"I can't answer that, Lady Rey."

"Oh, come on," she squeezed his hand. "I'm not like Kylo. I'm not going to choke you just because you slander his name every once in a while."

Jarrok chuckled. "You really love him, don't you?"

All the relaxation left Rey's body and she stiffened.

"Love?"

"My apologies, Lady Rey. I spoke without thinking."

"No…" Rey raised her other hand and stopped him in his tracks. "Love." In all honesty, she didn't even know what that was. She had never experienced anything amongst the lines of it, but her relationship with Kylo was far from just Master-Apprentice. There was something else. She was sure it was the Force bond that caused her to feel the tingles and the way she did when she was around Kylo. That was a fact. The only uncertainty was whether she could still feel the same way she did if there wasn't one.

"Maker…" she whispered. "You might be right."

"It is very evident. Sula noticed it first. Something comes over you when we talk about him. Even when you two were fighting, she said it was only because you cared about each other."

Rey found her cheeks slowly growing warm. It was unusual to hear about her relationship with Kylo from one of her Knights.

"Jarrok, do I need to inform Sula where you are?"

"Yes, Lady Rey. That would be nice."

"Of course. I'll have to get in touch with the First Order. I wouldn't be surprised if Kylo forces me to fill a report when we return."

"You don't have any qualms about leaving the Resistance?"

Rey looked down. "That's a tricky question, Jarrok. I don't know. If it's one thing I've learned since getting dragged into this war, it's that nothing is ever black and white. I used to think that the Resistance was the purest of all, the best example of what was good and right. That the First Order, because they were against for what the Resistance strived to achieve, was everyone's enemy. I thought everyone in the galaxy sympathized with the Resistance, whether they verbalized it or not. I was so wrong. Do you know what I thought about the First Order when I started living on the Finalizer?"

"Please tell."

"I couldn't help it—I was just so surprised by how _normal_ everyone seemed. I mean, when I visited the captain's deck with Kylo, I saw the faces of all the First Order personnel. They didn't have any evil scars or wicked smiles or smirks or anything. They seemed so normal. And when I ate with Sula in the cafeteria one day, everyone was in their own little groups, talking and laughing and discussing everyday life. It was so _normal_. I still can't wrap my head around it. When I was with the Resistance, all I thought was that the First Order were evil. Evil, evil, and evil. That no one in the First Order had even a tiny shred of humanity. That their souls were all condemned."

"Things were as you described, Lady Rey. Under Supreme Leader Snoke, there was a loss of humanity within us. His existence plagued us and got under our skin and in our minds. Often times, I didn't feel like myself anymore." When Rey stayed silent, Jarork assumed it was his job to continue.

"Things really have changed since Kylo assumed the role of Supreme Leader. He is the same bloodthirsty fiend he had always been, but he is not so devoid of humanity to the point Snoke was. Even though his leadership has been short, it has been effective. The First Order really looks up to him."

All Rey could think about when Jarrok said that was the image of Kylo choking the First Order pilot as they descended onto Numina. She smiled at the memory.

"The scariest for me during my time with the First Order was that I felt like I was acclimating. No matter how much I fought and how much I tried to resist the tug, I felt like I was slowly fitting in with the rest of the population. I started thinking less about the Resistance and more about my place in the First Order."

"Sometimes our opinions change once we obtain a personal experience from the other side."

Jarrok shuffled in his bed and Rey frowned. It was back again, the weird nagging feeling that he was keeping something from her.

"What have you been told about the Resistance, Jarrok?" she asked, pouring all of her attention into her hand. She felt it—just the tiniest of twitches before it went away.

"I was bred in the Dark, Lady Rey. I see myself loyal to no one else but you and Supreme Leader Kylo."

As much as that appeased her, it was not what Rey was looking for.

"I'm not talking about loyalties. I'm talking about what you learned about the Resistance. The same with what I thought about the First Order before my change."

"Evil. We were all raised by Snoke to do his bidding. We were all told by Snoke of the Resistance. That they fought to tumble all the legacy left by the previous Dark Lords, that they fought with cheap, dirty tactics and to expect the unexpected from them. That the Resistance was nothing more than a group of scoundrels led by a wicked General."

Jarrok looked down at the last word.

"I sense something disturbing you, Jarrok."

He didn't respond at first, but Rey knew he heard her. She would give him time. She could feel his inner turmoil inside as he collected his thoughts and tried to formulate a way to go about his answer.

"I'm confused, Lady Rey."

"Confused about what?" She gave his hand a firm squeeze to encourage him.

"The General."

Whatever it was, Rey wasn't expecting that.

"Leia?"

"Yes. She told me not to tell you this, but I think she knew I would. I think that's honestly the only reason why she told me not to tell you. Because by implanting that idea in my mind, I now want to tell you."

"Yes," Rey nodded, growing slightly impatient. "What is it?"

"I think it's better if you see for yourself."

Jarrok lifted a bit of the thin covers off of him with the Force and began to unravel his gauze. Strip by strip loosened until the entire thing was off, to which Rey could see an unblemished stomach.

"The General healed me, Lady Rey."

Rey's mouth dropped. Her hand left Jarrok's and touched his chiseled abdomen, her fingertips running over where there was _supposed_ to be a gaping hole but wasn't. She leaned back, her mouth still agape. It wasn't the fact that he was healed. It was more so that it was _Leia_ , public enemy of the First Order, who healed him. And when she realized something else, she slapped her forehead.

"Stupid, stupid! How could I have forgotten!" she muttered.

"Lady Rey?"

"Bacta has enormous healing processes, but even it can't bring dead tissue back to life. I even told Kylo about it when he came in one night to my room after destroying his—you know, that doesn't matter."

"I don't understand, Lady Rey."

"I don't understand it either, Jarrok," she said. And she didn't. Why would Leia, out of everyone, heal him? Was it because she felt like there was some obligation to her son? Was it because she knew that Jarrok would die in medical because the bacta wouldn't save him? Was it because she wanted them off Coruscant as soon as possible? Or was it because she wanted to rub it in Rey's face at how she was a better person, not overlooking this simple mistake like she had? Rey didn't like the last thought; it attacked her pride.

Rey didn't even know that Leia was strong enough to Force heal. Two days ago, she had told Rey herself that she couldn't do anything but simple parlor tricks.

She didn't need to ask to see that there was conflict swimming in his eyes. He had basically affirmed everything moments ago—that what he thought about the Resistance was what Rey thought of the First Order before she was captured. Now the tides have turned. Jarrok experienced first-hand that Leia Organa was not the deranged General he had been told. It all came back down to how war wasn't black and white.

"What are your plans now, Lady Rey? Has General Organa told us anything about our stay?"

"Our stays are mandatory—"

"What?!"

"—only until you are fully healed. Then it's optional."

Jarrok chuckled. "I could do with another day here. It's a lot different than I thought. The Resistance isn't as barbaric as Snoke portrayed."

"Of course not," Rey scoffed. "How could barbarians ever match the First Order?"

"You must want to visit your friends." At the word friends, her heart sank.

"That's the plan," she said. "But I'm not sure how they will respond."

"I don't believe real friendships could ever die. They are forged by something greater than things that we define—war, for one. If I were you, I would go see them."

"Thank you, Jarrok," Rey said. Then, "How many days does the doctor recommend you remain in bed?"

"Just one more. Then I should be ready to serve you again, Lady Rey."

Rey smiled. "I want to introduce you to the Resistance then."

"Lady Rey, I'm not sure if that's—"

"Forget Kylo. I have full authority as well, no? If it comes down to it, I'll command you to come with me." Her voice lowers. "I saw how human the First Order was. Perhaps if you experience the Resistance, you'll be able to see how they're quite human as well." Of course, that's only if she was accepted back. If not, then there was no reason to stay.

It was a spontaneous decision by her, but it was not done without reason. Since the war started, Rey had always thought about how much better everyone—the people fighting the war and the innocent as well—if there was no war. But it would never happen. The First Order and the Resistance were the enemies of enemies. They would never reconcile.

But what if they could? What if instead of one side triumphing over the other, there could be a truce? Maybe this was the key to all this. It'll take one small step at a time, like introducing Jarrok to the Resistance, but if it ultimately led to success, then who's to complain?

"You look quite uncomfortable in those clothes."

Rey's thoughts were disrupted by Jarrok. She looked down at her pants. "Yeah."

"You should go to the ship now. I think we've had a meaningful conversation already. I'll do as the doctor says for today and then you'll have me back tomorrow, ready to serve."

"Of course, Jarrok." Rey gave his hand one last squeeze, unwilling slipping into the Resistance jacket before getting to her feet.

"Lady Rey," he acknowledged.

Rey gave him a nod and left. Now, she had a real schedule. She fiddled with her lightsaber the entire time she was walked until she finished retracing her steps back to her quarters. She debated on going in and putting on her washed scavenger clothes, for they had to be clean and dry by now, but it didn't feel right. It wouldn't feel _her_. Her scavenger clothes were a token of the past, back when she had a much simpler life scavenging and slaving away on Jakku. It wasn't the right attire for her now.

The platform was easy to find—there was a hallway that rested right in between the two wings that led out to it. Rey didn't see anyone at all during her walk to the ship—maybe it was too early or a rest day—and no one apparently seemed to be guarding Jarrok's ship either. Apparently Leia really trusted them.

Rey dismantled the locks inside the ship. The hangar slid open. Impatient, Rey jumped forward with aid from the Force before the ramp had fully descended and slipped inside. It was clean. There was no trace of Damesh or his comrade. She wondered what the Resistance did with them.

The storage drawer wasn't hard to find. It was near the place where Rey and Jarrok had been confined on their journey to Coruscant. She pulled it open and sighed in content at the sight of black. All black everything. Her hand dipped inside and she ran her fingers through the fabric, shivering with delight at rough it felt.

Confident that no one would see her, she pulled out the entire drawer filled with her clothes and quickly changed. One capri-length pants, a wrap dress, tunic, gloves, belt, and boots later—she was dressed in all black. And not only that, but the darkness inside her hummed, satisfied at the least by her display.

Rey didn't need a mirror to know what she looked like—the clothes she wore now were the same back when she first wore them aboard the Finalizer.

It felt good to be back.


	16. Chapter 16

Yeah, so, uh, five months. Been a while. And I am SO sorry. I never really knew how freakishly busy the word busy could be but yeah...so in that time, I finished my Masters degree, took the MCAT, and got a job working as adjunct faculty at a local community college. And my 23rd birthday wasn't that bad either! But yeah. Now that I no longer have to study for now (THANK GOD), I'll have plenty of more time to write. So yeah. This is the product of my free time. Don't know if any readers are still expectant but I hope this will at least be a pleasant surprise.

* * *

Something about being on the ship made her hesitate.

Rey knew what she had to do—first, to fill her stomach. She had a small headache pounding away at the back of her head at her lack of nourishment as of late. There was another unsettling feeling in her stomach—her unavoidable confrontation with other members of the Resistance.

The cockpit of Jarrok's ship was nothing short of homey. Rey walked into the main cabin. Her last memory of the area had been right after she had slaughtered Damesh and his accomplice. Still, she felt no remorse.

She plopped down in the pilot's seat and sighed. How easy would it be to start the ship and take off?

As much as she wanted to leave and return to the Finalizer, especially into Kylo's arms, she could not run away. She would lose face in front of the Resistance. They had to be dealt with.

Rey stood up and smoothed her outfit. She descended the hangar of the ship and latched it shut from the outside with the Force.

It was still early in the morning, but she knew that most of the Resistance members were early risers, being how the day for them usually started early. But still, to see no one walking in the hallways of the West Wing was a little strange.

 _Maybe I should just go into Coruscant and grab something to eat from a food stall,_ she muttered to herself.

 _That would inadvisable._

She spun around, banging her knee into the wall. "Ouch!" she grimaced, rubbing her knee rapidly to dispel the pain.

 _Kylo!_

He was in clear sight—standing on the captain's deck, feet cemented onto the floor and staring out into the open space through the large glass screen with his chin up. His hands were behind his back. The rest of the First Order crew were busy scrambling behind him.

 _You were projecting. Not the first time._

She gave him a playful scowl.

 _I think you've just been eavesdropping._

He smirked at her. _Regardless, perhaps it is time for another lesson._

Rey raised her eyebrow at him at the sudden image of the last time she had a private lesson with him aboard the Finalizer's training room. She remembered how he Force-pulled her to him and devoured her, staking his claim in her. A sudden rush of arousal hit her, so strong that she almost collapsed.

 _Stop sending me these impulses!_

 _I have no clue what you're talking about, although…_ Kylo's eyes flickered to Rey's cheeks. _It wouldn't be difficult to reach a concrete conclusion._

Rey smiled. _Of course. I would gladly take a new lesson, Master_. She let the last word roll from her lips and watched carefully as Kylo squirmed. Two could play at that game.

 _I see that you are in Jarrok's ship_ , Kylo said after he recovered. _Those clothes become you._

 _Le—the only clothes I was given were Resistance clothes. It didn't feel right._

 _What's come between you and the Resistance?_

 _Nothing_ , Rey began to fill him in. _I just talked to Jarrok_. She left out the part where Leia healed him. If Kylo's past outbursts whenever she mentioned Leia was indicator of something, it was that her name was taboo around him.

 _I need to eat. And meet with the rest of the Resistance._

Kylo growled.

 _No._

Rey leaned back, dumbstruck.

 _No?_

 _I know what you mean by that. You're going to look for the blasted droid and his owner, the best pilot in the galaxy,_ Kylo mocked. _And not only that, but your Stormtrooper traitor, FN-2187._

 _I have every right to do so. They are my friends._

 _No. I forbid it._

Not this again.

 _You forbid it? You do not own me, Kylo, let me get one thing clear._

Kylo Force-pulled her over until they were standing face-to-face, only millimeters apart. Rey found herself going cross-eyed in an attempt to lock her eyes with his.

 _I am your Master. You belong to me and the First Order now. Do you really think they'd still befriend you?_

Rey pushed him back and bared her canines, growling as a defensive measure to cover up the hurt Kylo just inflicted.

 _You are against this idea because of your personal, selfish reasons. If you weren't so hard-headed and just admitted to me—_

 _Admitted to you what?_ Kylo's voice raised even higher.

 _That you were jealous!_ Rey shouted.

 _I am not jealous!_

 _Then what? Then what? You don't want me to meet with my friends because you dislike them? That's even worse than feeling jealous. At least jealousy implies that you still have enough humanity in you to actually care!_

There was an awkward silence. Unbelievably, Kylo averted Rey's gaze. There was a flash in his eyes and she felt instant remorse.

 _Kylo_ …she whispered, resting her palm against his chin. _I'm sorry. That was uncalled for._

 _No. You're right._

 _I am?_

 _Yes. I am jealous_ , Kylo admitted. Rey could tell how hard it was for him to say this, and she would try her hardest to make him feel accepted. _Especially FN-2187._

Rey had to bite her tongue to stop herself from correcting him.

 _I've seen how you two act when around each other._

 _It's okay to feel that way, Kylo. But you have to understand…understand that Finn will never mean anything more than a friend to me._ Rey grabbed Kylo's hand and put it on her heart. _We are bound in more ways than one, Kylo. If the Force Bond didn't exist, I—I believe I'd feel the same way._

She saw his nostrils flare.

 _The first time I saw you without your mask, there was a stirring inside me. A deep feeling that I couldn't pinpoint until now. It was attraction. Dark attraction. And I know that was before the bond tied us, because the bond only formed when you decided to invade my mind_ , she finished lightheartedly. She could tell it was working, but he needed a final push.

 _Don't you see, Kylo?_ she begged. _I belong to you. Everything—my heart, my soul, my being—it all belongs to you. It can't belong to anyone else. I am tied to you_. _I—_

Her proclamations became difficult when lips suddenly crashed amongst hers.

 _Kylo! You're in front of dozens of people! They can see you!_

Ignoring the throbbing sensation between her legs, she pried him off her with enormous difficulty. It was like her arms were refusing her brain's commands.

Kylo let out a frustrated moan.

 _I know, Kylo. I need you, but not now. When we get back. I'm all yours…_ her voice trailed off. Rey couldn't resist and gave him a quick peck on the lips before leaning back, just in time to a sudden wave of arousal from Kylo's end. It was physically painful to close the bond, but she did so anyways, albeit with a watery mouth.

The confrontation left her with shaky legs and it took her a few seconds to steady herself. She leaned her weight on the wall with the underside of her lower arm. Maker, that man would be the death of her.

"Excuse me, why are you here?"

Rey whirled around at the unfamiliar voice. The fact that this stranger had sneaked behind her without her notice unnerved her more than she cared to show, other than the fact that her hand was gripped tightly around her lightsaber.

"Who are you?" she asked, voice steady.

Her menacing stance did not escape the girl's eyes, and it was evident by the hardening of her face that she was aware of the situation.

"Why are you in this wing? You're supposed to stay on your own side," she spat.

Rey loosened her grip, slightly impressed at how she was standing her own ground, with only a slight quiver of terror in her voice. She liked this girl.

"Says who?" she asked, tilting her head to the side. She took a step forward. The girl's eyes flickered to the sharp click of her boot. With her second step, Rey could literally see her determination snap in her eyes.

There was a soft thud as the girl's back hit the wall, and an even softer voice when she spoke.

"No one wants you here, traitor."

Rey shoved down the small feeling of hurt.

"Be that as it may, you will not stop me. I am not here to seek reparations or befriend you or anyone else in the Resistance. All I am here for is to visit old friends."

The girl's face paled. "Finn," she whispered.

"You know him."

Her face scrunched up in confusion and then anger. Then Rey saw something else different entirely: protectiveness.

"I won't let you harm him." Whatever fire that had vanquished after her menacing approaches to her had reappeared. She pushed herself off the wall and stood directly under Rey's face, so close that all it would take was a simple lean forward before they their faces touched.

Rey sighed. She was already growing tired of this interaction. There was something different about her lately. Maybe Kylo was rubbing off, but she found her patience to be growing shorter and shorter as time passed.

"I'm only here to talk. It has been a while since I've seen all of them."

"And why should I believe you?"

Rey sighed again. "Listen. You're getting quite on my nerves. I suggest you remove yourself before I do it myself."

The girl's chest swelled to a novel size and Rey resisted the urge to chuckle at her sophomoric behavior.

"So be it," she muttered. She raised her hand and was getting ready to push her to the side, but then had a better idea.

"Where are they? Poe, Finn, BB8?"

"Like I'd tell you!"

"Maker, you really are exasperating, aren't you? How many times do I have to tell you that I mean no harm to the Resistance?"

She could see the girl's resolve cracking, but it wasn't enough. She spat on Rey's face. It wasn't a small bit of saliva, it was something hacked up from the back of her throat. Rey flinched backwards, both disgusted and angry. Her fingers twitched and she seriously contemplated on cutting the girl's hand off, but thought better of it.

"If this is how you want to play it…"

Rey had never invaded someone's mind before, but she found it extremely easy since the girl was that of a non-Force user; she could erect no defense against her attack. Rey slipped through her mind with relative ease. But from there on, it was kind of like running on ice. Not only was Rey new to the dark art, but also unprepared. Every time she slipped, she pried too deeply and it caused the girl mental pain. She could see her grimacing every time this happened. However, since Rey was naturally gifted at virtually everything she put her mind to, she got used to the sensation of navigating around a different person's mind with relative ease. Although, she still gave her a few deliberately jabs here and there just to teach her a lesson.

The answer to where the people she sought for was right on the brim of her consciousness, but Rey ignored it. She was curious as to what else she would see about this girl's life and how she came to join the Resistance. She saw the same face in virtually every memory she poured through—from when the girl was a child, to when she joined the Resistance, to when they were sleeping in the same bunk—it was all made available. Perhaps it was her sister. But then there was a new door, and Rey could sense heavy anguish. That was her cue. She went back to the forefront of the girl's mind and got what she needed, but not before witnessing something that astounded her completely: her and Finn kissing.

"I was not expecting that."

The girl collapsed to the ground, her legs no longer having the ability to support her. Rey lifted her up with a simple lift of her hand. A sliver of pity ran through her and she let the girl's weight rest on her shoulder, taking care as to keep her lightsaber away from her in case the girl had sinister plans. A few moments later, she removed herself from Rey's support, leaning backwards with a small sheen of tears coating her eyes.

"You got what you wanted. Are you happy?"

Rey focused her attention to a dusty spot on the girl's shoulder and she brushed it, watching as the dust floated to the floor. "I thought it was a little early for brunch, but I guess they've been working hard, haven't they? It wouldn't have been so hard if you just told me in the beginning where they were. My story hasn't changed—I'm not here to fight. Just to talk." Originally, Rey barely paid her attention. But now, she scrutinized her. She was shorter than Rey by a whole head, geared in standard Resistance clothes, the same girl with the oriental looks that scowled at her when she descended Jarrok's ship with her Knight in tow. "Speaking of which, I was surprised to say the least by what I saw." She waited for the girl to say something, but all she got in response was a flushed sniff.

"Finn is mine," she finally said, looking at anything and everything but Rey.

Rey threw back her head and laughed in disbelief. Her noises seemed to unsettle the girl, if only for a second. A look of offense came to her face and it was too priceless. Giving another chortle, Rey brushed by the girl and passed her without another word. She would let her ruminate on what her laugh meant.

Her chuckles slowly died down as she approached one of the doors that led to the cafeteria. She knew that everyone she wanted to talk to was behind this door—after all, the girl who she just ran into had just left all that information at the forefront of her mind.

The door was sensored and automatically slid open when Rey approached. There wasn't any code needed—after all, she doubted that the Resistance expected any visitors.

The reaction from the people inside the room was similar to the reactions of the First Order when Rey entered the cafeteria back on the Finalizer. The sounds of plates shifting and silverware clattering screeched to a halt, followed by the stunned, wide-eyed open stares at her and her lethality as she took two steps inside. This time, though, Rey would show no shyness. She stepped further inside to the point where the door behind her shut. There was a brief pause in which everyone—a little more than a dozen people—held their breath.

"She's here to kill us!" the boy on her right shouted. Immediately, this set the entire room off. Resistance members, males and females alike, scrambled to their feet in desperation to get as far away as possible from her. The members who were cautious enough to take responsibility at all times withdrew their blaster guns from their belts and fired at her. Rey wasted no time, immediately channeling the Force and stopping the bolts in their place. Their faces grew pale.

"I'm not here to fight," Rey said, half resisting the urge to roll her eyes. This was too easy. From the corner of her peripherals, she saw that a select few individuals didn't move—the boy that guided her to Leia's room—she had to think for a bit before she remembered his name: Elland. Him and the bulky man that moved her to the prison when she first got off the ship were eating together, sitting one table apart from—

Rey inhaled sharply. There they were—the people she sought.

Finn and Poe.

Something about the sight of them filled Rey with surrealism. To her, it was like she hadn't seen them in years, even though neither of them had changed, besides the small glimmer of defensive reticence she caught in their eyes. They had yet to move, and instead followed every single movement of Rey's. She felt monitored. Their expressions were as inscrutable as Leia's was as Rey stepped off the ship.

Rey flicked her hand to the side and the blaster bolts dropped. Another wave of her hand pushed the Resistance members—the ones who had scampered about or bothered to attack her—back into their respective seats. She walked forward and weaved through the few tables, ignoring the stares and the hostility of some of the members. She was relieved that no one had the audacity to fire again, for stopping a shot from near-range would be quite difficult. But they probably didn't know that.

Rey closed the gap between her and Finn and Poe. There was an empty seat. Feeling as if it would be rude to intrude, Rey asked, "Mind if I join?"

Finn's mouth opened and then closed before he opened it one more time. The start of a word came out, but his throat was too dry. He cleared it.

"By all means," he said, right as Poe violently stood to his feet and stabbed his finger in Rey's chest.

"Leave."

If anyone was meticulous enough, they would've seen Rey's shoulders droop ever-so-slightly. Poe's finger jab didn't hurt. Physically, at least. A flash of disappointment washed through her. Perhaps hoping for the best had been a mistake.

"Poe, we should listen—"

"Shut up!" Poe whirled, jabbing his other finger in Finn's face. "We don't have to listen to anything she says."

"Poe, I—"

"Forget it." His voice was firm. "The best thing you can do for us is just leave."

Rey didn't know where all of her vulnerabilities suddenly came from. She felt weakened, as if a part of her was staked through and incapacitated by the rejection of who she once considered her friend.

"Finn," she tried appealing to him. His name caught in her throat, and by the looks of things, he himself was struggling with his decision. The hurt was evident—it not only flashed through his eyes, but settled there like some debilitating, chronic disease.

"Rey, I don't think this is a good idea." For someone who originally was against Poe's decision, he now seemed hesitant on allowing Rey in.

Tears began to well in her eyes, but anger quickly retaliated before she lost her composure. She could feel it begin to seep from the corners of her soul, from deep within her. Her vexation oozed out of her and quickly suppressed her hurt, the hurt that had manifested by Finn's doubt. It encompassed her being until she could see nothing but red. Nothing but betrayal, and nothing but another two pitiful lives that she could slaughter in an instant. The ringing in her head grew until it was almost painful, coaxing her, telling her to end things once and for all. To destroy anything in her path that caused her inexplicable pain. Sadness was something that should be squashed. There was no room for weakness.

Suddenly, the two people in front of her were no longer her friends. They were her enemy.

A grotesque growl erupted from Rey's pink lips. Her hand went to her lightsaber and her knees involuntary bent into a fighting position—

 _Beep!_

The unexpected droid sound ripped her involuntary state away. The beast in her roared at the interruption and then quickly turned its anger at her defiance—Rey straightened herself and let her hands fall slack.

"BB-8!" she exclaimed, turning to the side where the droid had made its approach.

BB-8 gave a happy chirp that suddenly died away into a low series of beeps when he spotted something he didn't like in Rey. He started sliding until he reached Poe, hiding himself behind his owner for a few seconds before tilting himself to the side and dubiously peeking out from behind Poe's leg.

"No, BB-8, it's still me," Rey reassured, walking closer to BB-8 before getting on one knee. She ignored the leg that belonged to Poe. "It's Rey."

BB-8's head swiveled on his side in what looked like a shake of his head. He gave two low beeps.

Rey tried again. "Come here, BB-8. Your antenna's slightly bent again."

At her mention of his antenna, BB-8 immediately became alert. He pushed himself from Poe's leg just slightly before beeping to himself and retreating again. Rey gave a low chuckle at the cuteness of the droid's indecisiveness.

"I won't bite, BB-8. I promise."

That did it. BB-8 squealed—and faster than a blink of an eye—rolled to Rey. He gave some lighthearted beeps to which Rey chuckled again.

"Bend down."

BB-8 obliged, leaning his head downward so Rey could bring her hand to his antenna, just like she had when they first met. She did just that, twisting it a little bit before straightening it. BB-8's body wiggled back and forth as she did this. She knew it was his favorite, to have his antenna played with.

"Is this a new antenna?" she asked, taking note at how the cap at the top was slightly bigger.

BB-8 let loose a long beep that started off low but ended on a high note.

"Yeah, I like it a lot. It looks good."

BB-8 head nodded and Rey's contacted hand swiveled back and forth as she tried to keep up with his movements.

"Not so fast, BB-8. I haven't finished straightening it yet. Be patient, okay?" she asked, after BB-8 gave a petulant whine. She gave it a little bit more of an adjustment, with her eyes on BB-8's sensor. She looked into it, losing herself and cherishing the unorthodox bond they had that started from that day they had met—when BB-8 had been caught in another scavenger's net.

"Nostalgic, isn't it?" she asked. BB-8 beeped in agreement. Rey smiled.

"There," she said, finishing her last adjustment before patting BB-8 on his head. "All better?"

BB-8 nodded. Rey got up from her knees and stepped back, waiting for Poe's response. He still wore a scowl, but at least his frown had lessened in severity ever-so-slightly. BB-8 turned to his owner and gave him a series of chirps.

"You think so BB-8? Yeah, I know. Still—" Poe warily stared at Rey. "Yes, I know, BB-8, but we don't know if she—"

BB-8 vibrated his body and gave his loudest beep yet.

"Okay, fine," Poe relented. Rey smiled at the interaction. "But if you're wrong, this is on you."

BB-8 gave a happy squeal. His motor hummed as he shuffled his way over to Rey and bumped into her leg.

"Just so you know," Poe started. Rey took her attention off the droid and redirected it to the barely-restrained dislike in his eyes. "BB-8 trusts you, but I don't. I won't hesitate if I think your intentions are anything less than just."

"Is that a threat?" she asked, playfulness sparkling in her eyes.

"Yes. Yes, it is."

Rey gave a low chuckle. "That's a good enough answer for me." She turned to the droid. BB-8 sure had a way to diffuse tense situations.

"I want you both to understand something," she said, immediately turning serious. BB-8 scooted back a bit and gave an impressed beep at the authority in her voice. "I am not here to bring fall to the Resistance. I am not here as an associate of the First Order. I am here on my own free will because I want to see you two. You guys are the only people of the Resistance other than Leia that I care about."

Poe's eyes softened at her expressive declaration.

"I understand completely, Rey. But you can't forgo reality. War comes first."

"I know."

"Come on, Rey. Have a seat with us, yeah?" Finn swiveled his head to the seat next to him.

Rey nodded.

"Have you eaten yet?" Finn asked.

A shake.

"Wait here. I'll get you some food."

"Thanks, Finn," Rey murmured, suddenly feeling much like herself in the past than who she was now—and with it held a sense of vulnerability.

She sat down next to Finn's seat. Poe took a seat across from her. The two of them stared off in silence at first. It wasn't wrong to admit that it was awkward.

"Rey—" Poe finally began, but before he could continue, BB-8 gave a sharp protest and then propelled himself onto the surface of the table with his hooks.

"BB-8!" Rey laughed. "I see your nosiness is still at the forefront of your personality."

He gave a little purr and spun around in a full circle.

"You can listen, but don't interrupt, BB-8." Poe said.

A beep.

This…this is what Rey needed. A break from everything that had been going on as of late—not because it was bad, but because it was too much. The transition and the speed at which her life moved in the last couple of weeks took a toll out of her, with hardly any time for rest. Rest that she could get by seeing her two friends again.

"I missed you guys," she muttered, dipping her eyes to the table. The fingers on her left hand brushed against the surface of the table while the other rubbed circles on her thigh.

"In all honesty, Rey, we missed you too." Poe's response was slow and held just the slightest bit of hesitation.

"I want to know everything. Everything that has happened, everything that you two have been doing—"

"Rey, I don't think—"

"Please," she insisted, fully aware of what he was going to say had not interrupted him. "Please."

Poe sighed and slumped forward in his chair. "It's been chaotic," he finally admitted. "We have a few more additional members from Canto Bight and several more from Coruscant, but…"

Rey held a hand up. "Not the Resistance. Just you two. Something normal. Something _you._ "

Poe looked taken aback but then gave her a smile. A real smile, one that she had gotten used to around the campfire after Starkiller Base.

"Well, I'm still the best pilot in the galaxy."

Rey felt the corner of her mouth lift into a smirk. "Still? You weren't that good to begin with!"

"Says who?"

"Me," she answered. "And if I remember correctly, you still owe me a race." She propped her elbows on the table, hands clasped, resting her chin on them. "Or are you avoiding it because you're too scared?"

Poe snorted. "I bet BB-8 could even outpilot you. I'm avoiding you because you're not worth the time."

"Ouch, Dameron," Rey said, just as BB-8 gave his robot version of a laugh. A moment later, there were two more voices of laughter ringing around the room.

"You two sure look chummy."

Rey whirled around. Her eyes darted to Finn, but quickly dropped to the massive pile of food plopped on the biggest plate she had ever seen.

Finn smiled at Rey's bulging eyes.

"Here," he said, pushing the plate to her. "If I hold out on you any longer, sanitation's going to hate when they have to clean up buckets of drool."

"Hey!" Rey said, accepting the plate and pushing him gently at the same time. "I do _not_ drool!" At Finn's narrowed eyes, she relented. "Okay, maybe a bit. But not buckets!"

"Potato, potahto. I still haven't gotten my hug."

Initially, Rey was slightly hesitant. After all, the hug he gave her on Crait revealed much more about his personal feelings to her than she would have liked. But leaning into his frame now offered no emotions extending beyond the line of friendship. Rey's mind quickly went to the girl—what was her name? She had her to thank for that.

The sudden growling of Rey's stomach broke them apart. She sat down, sweeping her eyes around the spectacle. Mountains of rich meats and a variety of greens stacked messily upon her plate, just as she liked it.

"Are you going to be able to eat all that, or have I given you too much?"

Rey was about to answer, but Poe beat her to the chase.

"Are you kidding me? Her stomach is the size of the Unknown Regions."

Rey's mouth dropped open. "Excuse you—" but her voice was cut off by the sudden handful of bread BB-8 shoved in her mouth. "Idoaneaahmuck."

"What?"

Rey forced herself to swallow the food, wincing as it got stuck in her throat. She hastily took a swig of water from the cup that Finn provided.

"Maker, this is amazing. Where did you guys get this?" And indeed it was, on levels that the First Order's food even reached.

"It's Coruscant. Leia—" at the mention of her, Rey looked up from her plate of food. They were still watching her, but both of them now sported a firm purse on their lips. "She still has some influence over the region."

Rey decided not to push and instead soaked her bread into the rich oils of the meat. Things had fallen quiet between them now, the only sound being her rough chewing.

"What have you been up to? I know Poe's been spending every hour tinkering away on his ship or BB-8." At that, both droid and owner grunted.

"Things have settled into a lull here. Honestly, Rey," Finn scrunched his eyebrows. "People have been getting complacent. Ever since Coruscant, it's almost as if the majority of the Resistance has lost the will to fight. A lot of members spend more time going into the city and drinking and having fun at the bars than remembering we're in the middle of a war."

Rey finished a corner of her plate and thought. "Sometimes it's okay to take breaks. Sometimes we need normalcy in our lives. Otherwise, we begin to lose our sense of identity, what makes us who we are."

"I know, but this…this is different. Many of us have just accepted things for what they are, and it's unsettling even for us. I went out into the city yesterday and it's so different. Everyone knows about the war, but they're not actively participating. It's as if the war is just some side issue, a minor annoyance. The citizens prioritize their shopping lists and errands instead."

"Finn," Rey sighed, covering one of his hands with hers. "They only treat it as such because the war doesn't directly affect them."

"I know that!" Finn shouted, drawing the attention of a few tables. "I know that," he said again, much quieter. "But that doesn't mean I like it."

"What Finn here is trying to say, is that he's envious."

"I am not! It's just—"

"What?" Poe piped up. "We've been over this, and you're still in denial. You're envious, mate."

"What changed?" Rey asked. She stared into his eyes, expecting to read him. "You were the face of the Resistance's efforts against the First Order."

"And I still am! But things, as much as it pains me to admit," he gritted. "Have improved. The _Supreme Leader_ ," he said in a bout of mockery, "is a lot better than Snoke ever was."

Rey lifted her eyebrow. "Describe better."

"Well, we haven't had to tuck tail or flee for the last two weeks, have we now? According to the HoloNet, more and more people are starting to understand and even sympathize with the First Order. Apparently the First Order is more rational and less savage now that Snoke has been replaced."

 _By Kylo Ren_ , were the unsaid words, but Rey could hear them all the same.

"Maybe that's why people treat the war as a minor annoyance now. If the First Order is more rational, then their goals are in line with the Resistance's."

"I know, but—"

"Finn." Rey put her hand over his. "Don't you think it's time to just accept things for what they are?"

Finn stood up. Rey had just a split second to take in the offended glare he shot her before he began shouting.

"Give up?"

"No!" Rey protested, getting to her feet as well. "That's not what I was saying!"

"I think you forgot the reason _why_ I left the First Order to begin with. _They_ treated the Stormtroopers like scum. Found every excuse to dish out reconditionings, used us for the dirty work. Until the First Order is gone, we will never be free. _Never_."

"Finn…"

"I still have friends in the First Order. Those that want out but can't. They're stuck, trapped."

"Buddy," Poe stepped in. "Don't you think that's stretching things a bit? You admitted it yourself—the First Order have changed. For the better. I don't think the way they treat Stormtroopers is the same as they used to under Snoke."

Finn shook his head. "No. No. I know they're still suffering."

"How in the world do you know that?" Rey asked out of curiosity.

"RS-2678. One of my friends. He's in a different squadron but we had cleanup—"

Rey's attention drifted away from Finn before she could hear the rest of his sentence. RS-2678…that name sounded oddly familiar.

"—of the Knights attacked them in the hallway. Didn't even provoke her, just—"

"Oh," Rey said. It wasn't a question, or an exclamation. It was just a simple 'oh' that drifted from her lips as quietly as a breath of air.

Only BB-8 heard her. Rey turned and threatened him with her eyes, but it was too late. He gave a confused beep.

"What about Rey, BB-8?" Poe asked.

Maker, this was not going to go well.


	17. Chapter 17

**Lol, I could continue apologizing for the late posts, but at this point I don't think my apologies mean anything. I've fallen out of interest in this story, which is my worst fear. Obviously writing is going to be difficult and it may be boring, but I'll try to see fit to this story and the stuff I have had planned for it before I head off to a dreadful period of business of my life in July (med school).**

 **I don't know if there's anyone reading still, but if you are, I do truly appreciate it!**

* * *

The last few hours flew by in a whirlwind. Rey spent them on Jarrok's ship, shaking with rage as she slammed her fist down and connected her intercom with the Finalizer's to deliver her long-overdue report. Kylo picked up after the first ring, and Rey was relieved as she felt tension evaporate from her shoulders. Halfway during her report, she caught a glimpse of Sula's hair right before her nimble arms shoved Kylo out of the way and her face occupied the camera. Obvious concern swam in her silver eyes and Rey didn't need to know who it was she was concerned for by the tremor in her voice. She told her that Jarrok was perfectly okay and recovering, but left out the finer details. In other words, she didn't talk about Leia.

Rey was still pretty beat from the chain of events that had occurred, so she kept the meeting short. She and Kylo did, however, both touch the tips of their fingers to the HoloScreen, and Rey swore that she could feel his warmth. And that was it. Late at night, she returned to her quarters and prepared for some light reading in bed before she dozed off.

There was a knock on her door.

Rey already knew who was on the other end. She debated on whether to answer or play dumb. Her mind quickly went to the latter.

There was another knock. Heavier this time. She ignored it once more, focusing her attention to the Jedi texts. If she could meditate for hours on end, she can definitely bear through this.

The next knock sounded like it was meant to break the door down.

Rey sighed. Like, really sighed. Then she swung her legs up out of the bed and strolled to the door.

"About time! I thought you were ignoring me. I just wanted to—"

Finn's voice rose to a high pitch and disappeared when he saw what the girl on the other end was wearing.

Rey scratched the back of her bare ankle with her foot and brushed some loose strands of hair away from her eyes.

"You were saying?"

"Rey—what—what—" Finn spluttered.

"It's just a nightgown, Finn. You wanted to talk?"

"Yes, uh, yes, about—"

"Wow. Whatever it was, it sure seemed urgent."

This seemed to snap him out of his stupor.

"Right, Rey. I wanted to talk."

Rey crossed her arms and raised her eyebrow, letting him know she was not going to back down this time.

"I'm—I'm—"

Her eyebrows lifted even higher.

"Okay! Okay. I'm sorry. I'm truly sorry."

"About?" she drawled.

Finn's shoulders slumped. "I shouldn't have blown up at you. And if I could go back and correct myself, I would."

"You can't keep talking about the past, Finn. It already happened. There's no fixing it."

"Still…I didn't realize it until after you'd left, but I didn't even get to hear your side of the story. I overreacted, and it's entirely my fault."

Rey's unamused glare softened a bit at that.

"They were—are your friends, Finn. I don't think I would have had half the calm you did if I learned that two of my best friends were attacked. Your behavior was defensiveness toward my admission. I don't blame you for that."

"I know. But it was still wrong. I needed to get it off my chest and I blew up at you. It wasn't acceptable of me to do so."

"Hmm."

Finn seemed to realize that Rey wasn't going to back down, but what he didn't realize was that Rey was half-heartedly joking and playing hard to get. Before her change, there was something that was hidden. Now, this side manifested. It was a teasing, playful side, one that Rey couldn't help but call upon in this time of bashfulness on Finn's end. One that enjoyed toying with him.

"Please. I'm so sorry. Anything you want to do—"

"Anything?"

Finn seemed to be lost in his thoughts but jerked at her question.

"Anything."

"Okay!" Rey said, giving him a cheeky smile. "Let's go to into Coruscant."

"N—N—Now?"

Rey waved her arm over her attire.

"Right, right. You probably don't want to change out of something so comfy. I mean, it looks comfy! Looks comfy. Tomorrow then, yeah?"

"Sure." Then, turning serious, she said, "I'm sorry, Finn. I really didn't want to do what I did, but I had no choice but to hurt your friends."

"Not all Stormtroopers want to be there, you know."

"Oh?"

Finn nodded his head. "My friends—they want out too. And many more."

"Even now?"

"Even now."

Rey took that into consideration. There was no doubt that the First Order were more humane now than during Snoke's period of reign, but she hadn't focused on the conditions of the Stormtroopers. It wouldn't surprise her if Kylo still sent them to reconditioning. After all, he was more than eager to dish out the punishment on Rost if it hadn't been for Rey stopping him.

She took this critical piece of information. It almost sounded like Finn was hinting at a rebellion. Something that the First Order did not need right now. So she selected her next words carefully.

"I'll see if there's anything I can do."

Finn's head spun around. "Really?!"

Rey bit the corner of her lip. Kylo was going to kill her. "Really."

"This is real, right? Not a gimmick? No stipulations?"

At that, Rey had an idea.

"Just one." Then, seeing Finn blanch, she hastily continued, "It's minor! I just want to bring my Knight with us when we venture out tomorrow."

And, as expected, Finn became defensive.

"Why?"

"He'd love to see Coruscant for what it is and not what he's heard."

Finn balled his fists together. "I thought he was injured."

Rey sighed. "Finn, he's much better now and in condition to come with us. Jarrok would really appreciate this excursion."

"Yeah? So is he there only for the sights, or are you taking him for protection?" The look in Finn's eyes were nearing deadly. Because if Jarrok was here to protect Rey, then that meant Rey was considered an important figure of the First Order. Something that Finn still couldn't wrap his mind around.

Rey grit, "Like I said, for the sights." She briefly rubbed her temples with her fingers.

"I don't like this idea."

"I can tell."

"I don't know. You, I know. But him—he's a Knight of Ren. He's killed dozens, if not hundreds of people. He's a murderer."

"Are you really going to use a numerical count of human lives to measure whether my Knight can tag along with us tomorrow, or are you against this idea because you're unfamiliar with him? Because if it's the latter, I can vouch."

"Human lives are human lives!"

"Yes, and people do what they need to do in order to survive and win the war! You honestly can't tell me that you haven't killed anyone before."

When Finn speaks, his voice is a whisper.

"I have, and I hate myself for it."

Rey resisted the brief flare of darkness ready to scorn him as weak, but even she couldn't hold back the slight roll of her eyes.

"Almost every day I still see their eyes in my dreams," Finn continued on, unaware of Rey's pantomime. "Their glassy stares and limp hands. It's like I can't let go, no matter how hard I try."

"And that's why you left the First Order and advocate against them."

"Yeah," he whispered, turning to Rey. "I know my friends want out. It's just not the work schedule or duties around the ship. It's the forced killings."

Rey didn't know what to say, but Finn seemed to have made up his mind.

"Fine. The Knight of Ren can come with us," he finally grunted. "But you better keep him on a leash, because if he does anything out of the ordinary—"

"He won't," she reassured, her chest tight. A few seconds later and she recognized it as protectiveness. She didn't like the underlying threat directed at Jarrok, even if it was by Finn, someone she considered a close friend.

Finn gave her a tight nod. "Meet me outside my quarters. Tomorrow morning."

Without responding, she waved him goodnight and her chamber door slid shut.

Rey woke up bright and early the next day and grabbed a scalding shower that seared her skin pink. Her usual setting—heavy heat with even heavier rays from the Jakku sun—had been absent for a quite a while, and she was beginning to pale ever so slightly.

She didn't set a time to meet with Finn, but she remembered him to be an early riser—a habit reinforced by his time in the First Order. She threw on something a little inconspicuous this time—in other words, the Resistance jacket and matching pants. Although she held heavy distaste toward the apparel, she wasn't stupid enough to set off alarm bells of the citizens. She also opted to let her hair down instead of the usual three buns before calling her lightsaber and attaching it to a little hook on the inside of the jacket. At least it was functional.

Maybe it wasn't such a good idea for her to end their conversation without getting specific details, but she wasn't going to admit to Finn that she had no idea where his quarters even were. But first things first. Leaving her room, she briskly walked straight to the infirmary. The doctor on call immediately recognized her this time, even in her Resistance outfit, and led her to his patient's room.

The door slid open and Rey was greeted by Jarrok's bare back. No bandages were in sight. She took a few seconds to drink in his figure. Muscular, but slim. Much slimmer than Kylo. Fit, and a perfect fit for Sula.

"Ahem," she cleared her throat.

Jarrok spun around, eyes widening for a split second before gave her a courteous bow.

"Lady Rey."

"Jarrok, please," she flashed him a genuine smile. "Get dressed."

Jarrok nodded and resumed dressing until he was finally cloaked in his regular Knight attire.

"Don't put the helmet on," Rey warned when she saw his intent.

Jarrok gave her a mildly surprised look, but one that was expectant of her behavior. He lowered his helmet onto the table and let down his bound hair.

"Lady Rey, what brings you here today?"

"First thing's first, is everything working properly?"

Jarrok nodded. "I feel brand-new again. The doctor discharged me minutes before your arrival. I was preparing my belongings."

"Right. Well, we're going on a trip today."

"Pardon?"

"A trip. You, me, and a Resistance member are taking a day trip into the heart of Coruscant. Sula mentioned your interest in the city."

Jarrok seemed like he was struggling with two halves of himself.

"Be that as it may, Lady Rey, I don't think it is a good idea. Coruscant is not welcoming toward allegiants to the First Order."

"Which is why I'm dressed like this. And which is why you will also be dressed like this. Um, I think."

"You think?"

"No one's seen you without your helmet before, right?"

"No. No one except you and Sula."

"Maker, even Kylo doesn't know what you look like?"

"I'm sure he has his suspicions. He has seen Sula. Considering Sula and my origins are from the same planet, it can't be too hard to piece together silver hair and eyes."

"Then what's there to worry for? No one will ever suspect."

"Lady Rey, forgive me for this, but you, on the other hand—"

"Me, on the other hand…"

"That is what I worry about."

Rey bit her lip. Jarrok did have a point, but she was not about to go down after so much preparing.

"It's fine. I let down my hair. The Resistance apparel helps too, don't you think?" she said, flashing a wink.

"Yes."

Rey sighed again at the obvious intonation in his voice. "Jarrok. I want you to answer me honestly. I'm not going to have your head because you told the truth."

"Maybe. I think it really depends. If someone is actively looking for you, your appearance may not slip by them. But I've heard Coruscant is always busy, so people will be too preoccupied."

"Okay. Then it's settled then. Let's go."

Jarrok pursed his lips. It was obvious he was not entirely on board with this plan. Maybe he could bond over this hesitancy with Finn.

The two of them quickly exited the hospital and strolled over to the living area of the Resistance. Most people were still asleep at this time, but the one person she did come across in the hallways gave a sharp scream and proceeded to run away before Rey could politely ask him where Finn's room was.

But it was okay. Perturbed by the strange sound in the hallway, one door slid open to reveal a still half-asleep Finn with one arm up scratching the back of his head. Upon seeing Rey, he brightened. But then his eyes widened and a scowl appeared when he spotted the tall, lumbering man behind her.

Finn's murderous stare didn't go unnoticed by Jarrok. Rey could detect a slight rumble in the ground as he took one step forward and protectively placed his gloved hand around her shoulder.

"Finn, we've already discussed this."

"Yeah, but I didn't expect this Knight of yours to be so hostile," he spat, glaring daggers at Jarrok.

"Maker," Rey mumbled to yourself. For the record, it was Finn who started it, but she was not about to add fuel to the flame.

"Lady Rey?"

"Stand down, Jarrok. I am not here to babysit the two of you or sit in this hostility." Then, turning to Finn, she said, "Finn."

"What?"

"We already agreed yesterday. Jarrok is not here as an enemy. Please try to understand that."

She could see the gears turning in his head. Finally:

"Fine." He stared long and hard at Jarrok one last time before turning his back to them. "But he's going to need this," he said, disappearing into his quarters. Rey made to follow, but he held her back.

"Don't." At Rey's puzzled look, he explained.

"The room's shared."

It was a simple explanation, but enough. Rey gave a soft 'oh,' uncertain a how she felt about the situation. It was understandable, but that didn't mean she liked it. Stigmas weren't always representative of who the First Order was.

Finn reappeared after a few seconds of strange shuffling noises. In his hands was the standard Resistance uniform, and he stretched his arm out to Jarrok.

It was blatant by the look on Jarrok's face that he was conflicted with the idea of slipping on anything other than the color black. Rey had to actually bite her lip to keep a sharp laugh in at the confused stare he gave her.

"Just put it on, Jarrok. You know it better than me. It'll give us anonymity." She then gave him a soft nudge in the corner of his mind and gave him directions to her quarters and the password to get in.

 _Thank you, Lady Rey_ , came the rumble in her mind. She brushed him off with a hand, watching as he rounded the corner and left before she turned back to Finn.

"I am _not_ going to be in the mood to do this today, Finn. So don't test me," she warned. Then, in a softer tone, "I just want some normalcy. Is that too much to ask for?"

Finn gulped, remembering her life on Jakku.

"No, it's not. I'll be on my best behavior."

"Thank you. Is Poe coming?"

"Poe? No, he has ship duties today."

"Ah, so you told everyone what we were doing today, didn't you? Even though I asked you not to?"

"Wha—" Finn mouth formed a round O.

Rey gave a bark of laughter and balanced her weight on her tiptoes. "I'm just teasing, Finn." But her smile slipped off her face when she followed what his eyes were looking at. When she spun around while laughing, her jacket expanded, revealing something very sinister. To the Resistance, anyways.

"You're bringing it," he whispered, muted. It was a statement of fact.

Rey used the Force to tighten the jacket around her body.

"Yes, I am."

Finn seemed to be struggling with himself, until he finally asked her in a muted whisper: "Is it yours?"

At his morbid curiosity, Rey unveiled the hilt of her staffsaber and held it in the palm of her hands, on display for Finn to see.

"May I?" Finn asked. For someone who was adamant on keeping that weapon as far away from him as possible, he couldn't help but feel drawn to it now. Rey wasn't surprised — her weapon had that kind of effect on people.

Rey nodded and stiffened when Finn scooped the hilt away from her. Turning it over in his hands, he said:

"This isn't the lightsaber you used before."

Rey cocked her eyebrow. "I thought you knew that already, given my dramatic exit off the ship."

"I wasn't there, remember?"

"News spreads like wildfire in these areas."

Finn shook his head. "I was in the heart of Coruscant at the time of your arrival."

The two of them looked down.

"Yeah, it's a new one."

"I can tell. I had to use Luke's lightsaber on Starkiller Base, remember?"

"You were surprisingly proficient, if I do say so myself," Rey smirked.

"Hey! I'll have you know that for someone wielding a lightsaber for the first time, I was more than just proficient. And I was badass too."

Rey gave a soft snort then Force-called the weapon from Finn's offering hand. "I don't plan on using it."

"Because you have _Jarrok_ to protect you right?" And just like that, the atmosphere was ruined. Finn's tone took a turn for the worse, flat and with barely withheld disgust. The way he said her Knight's name—in a display of mockery—got under Rey's skin more than she cared to admit, but before she could open her mouth and aggressively correct Finn, she heard footsteps in the hall over.

Jarrok approached shortly after, having fully changed out of his First Order uniform and into the Resistance's. Finn's eyes gave him the once-over, lingering too long on his platinum hair and silver eyes.

"Lady Rey, I am ready," he bowed, ignoring Finn. Which was totally fine, as Finn had his back turned toward him.

Maker, perhaps this wasn't such a great idea after all.

 _Jarrok_ , _I need you to do something for me,_ Rey beamed her voice into his head.

"Anything, Lady Rey."

Rey smacked her forehead with her palm.

"Maker…" she grumbled, counting to three. As predicted:

"What? You two are talking inside each other's heads now?"

"Whatever Lady Rey requests of me, I respond. It has nothing to do with you, Resistance member."

"What, are you her slave now? Rey is my _friend_ , not some allegiant of the First Order!" Finn shot back. "I know you all are digging your filthy claws into her and I won't stand by—"

"Lady Rey is independent in the choices she make. Something a Stormtrooper is not programmed to understand."

"Why you—First order scum! Thinking you're better than all of us. I know who you lot truly are, far more than—"

Rey was done.

"ENOUGH!" she exploded, her voice thunderously deafening in her own ears. At her tremendous outburst, both men, neck to neck, released their venomous gazes and looked at her, shocked.

"I am done with both of your behaviors!" she snarled, pushing both of them against the wall with the Force. Darkness accompanying her outburst assaulted her veins and pleasured her senses, and Rey tightened her fingers, giving in. She dropped her arms but maintained the hold on both of them.

"Finn," she growled, patrolling around him. "I have told you again and again, Jarrok is coming with us whether you like it or not. Your constant annoyance is running my patience thin. Please have enough dignity to relish a smidgeon of self-control and keep your outbursts to yourself!"

 _And Jarrok,_ she invaded his mind, paying no heed to be gentle. She felt Jarrok grimace at how rough she was, and that only spurred her on to give him brief punishment by clawing her name into his mind before speaking, her words no less vicious than with her open voice to Finn. _Read between the lines. I spoke inside your head for a reason. You are under strict orders not to conflict with Finn. That is an order. And his name is Finn. Not 'Resistance member'._

Then, to both: "I don't care how much you hate each other. Both of you _will_ behave, and both you will treat each other fairly. There is no First Order or Resistance here. If you can't look past that, then perhaps I should reevaluate my decision to bring either of you."

She swiveled her head back and forth, making sure her words were embedded in their heads before letting them loose. Both men clumsily fell down to the ground, a heap of body and clothes, though Jarrok was far more graceful in his landing than Finn. Both of them got to their feet a moment later, panting heavily with uncertainty gracing their faces. Finn no longer seemed to want to claw Jarrok's throat out and instead stared at Rey with a mixture of fear and—was that respect she saw?

"Get yourselves together," she growled in lesser intensity. "And—"

"Finn!" a voice rang out. "Are you okay?!"

Rey turned and felt a blur zoom by her and crash into Finn. It was done with such force that Finn's back crashed against the corridor wall in such a jocular manner that Rey's vexation vanished and she chortled.

Finn's eyes avoided the girl's face, but she continued to murmur something unintelligible in his ear before taking her hands off him and spinning to face Rey with a murderous expression. Which was quite impressive in its own right considering how Rey savagely invaded her mind just yesterday.

"You again," the girl spat.

"Hello to you too," Rey greeted.

"Rose," Finn murmured from behind. "It's okay."

Ah, so that was her name.

"How can stand by and lie to me?!" the girl named Rose spun to face Rey, taking two steps forward. "You were _choking_ him!" Her hand balled into a fist around Rey's jacket. "You don't deserve this. You don't deserve any of us! My sister died fighting the First Order. Do you understand that?" She spurred onwards, leaving no room for interruptions. "Of course you don't. You defected to the First Order. The people who killed my family."

Rose's face darkened even further. Her eyes dipped down to the texture of her balled first tightening around a certain hunk of metal underneath Rey's jacket. Comprehension dawned on her face, replaced with determination not one second later.

Everything next happened in slow motion.

Rey felt the powerful tug of Rose's hand as her other hand crept toward the inside flap of Rey's jacket. The look on Rose's face was steeled, a decision that she had put her mind to—whatever consequences there may be, she forfeited her thoughts to them, letting darkness consume her with her intentions.

Rose's left hand managed to slip past Rey's jacket before she could erect a defense—

She saw Jarrok flinch forward and immediately stopped him with the Force.

 _Jarrok, no. Stand down._

She could sense him struggling to listen, before finally he responded with: _As you wish, Lady Rey._

All of this happened within seconds. Rose succeeded in slipping her hand into the flap of Rey's jacket and pulled out her lightsaber, flicking on the activation switch and brandishing one side of the beam annoying close to Rey's face with a temperature so hot she felt like her skin was about to melt off.

"Lady Rey!"

Rey waved him off while keeping still. The air was thick with tension. No one dared to breathe, and silence would be feasible if it were not for the low purr of her staffsaber pressed terrifyingly close to its owner.

"What are you going to do with that?" Rey inquired, tilting her head curiously at the other girl - the girl whom was once confident in her ultimatum but now was hesitating.

Rey already knew this beforehand. The Resistance girl was so easy to read. Otherwise, this would've all been stopped before a situation escalated. It would have been easy enough. A simple flick of her finger and Rose would've been pushed away.

"I don't think you can do it."

"Shut up!" Rose spat, pushing the lightsaber even closer. "I can do it!"

"Then do it." Rey's voice lilted, calm in the face of death.

Rose's eyes watered with tears. She drew her hand back, and for a second it really looked as if she was going to take the plunge. But then her hand wobbled, and that sign was all Rey needed.

Warm fingers closed around Rose's wrist, almost in a carress-like, comforting manner.

"It's different when you see faces. The bombings, the space fights, it's easy to detach yourself from humanity without a face to piece behind the machine. When you're in front of someone and can see everything about that person with just a glimpse into their eyes - it's a different story. You need to be prepared to lose everything."

"I've already lost everything," came the resigned whisper over the hum of the blades.

Rey shook her head and offered her a sympathetic smile. "No. Not everything. Your humanity - that's what is driving you to do what you believe in. Once you kill, you fall."

The girl gave no clear indication that she heard Rey other than a loud sniffle. Her eyes darted to the ground, finding a sudden interest in her feet, as if she was ashamed that Rey could honestly understand her. One second later, the girl relinquished grip of the lightsaber, providing ownership back to its master.

The next time Rey spoke, her voice was dead. Emotionless.

"Take care of her today, Finn. It's apparent she cares about you."

"What about-"

But he didn't get to finish. For Rey spun on her heels faster than humanly possible. The sound of her footsteps were usually loud, but in the muted silence, they were deafening.

Jarrok followed suit, giving Finn a curt nod, to which the Resistance member responded with a nod of his own. He left, leaving Finn, Rose and a handful of other Resistance members standing in the wake of their absence.


End file.
